


A Monster's University Life

by CannibalCatfish



Category: Monsters University (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Supposed to be romantic, sort of slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-06-17 07:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15456585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CannibalCatfish/pseuds/CannibalCatfish
Summary: Thomas Ghola, son of a famous scarer, attends MU, hoping to live the dream and become a scarer in his own right. When he meets a certain reptile things get a little mixed up and he's forced to determine what his real priorities are.





	1. Chapter 1

He hadn't even been here for a day but he already knew how much fun he was going to have.

The maroon furred monster looked about the quad- outside what he first thought was the architecture building but was actually psychology- where a plethora of different sized and shaped monsters mulled about. Either on their way somewhere, lazing around or looking as lost as he was. He supposed the latter were freshmen too.

Picking up his case he rushed over to the small gathering of puzzled faces and nervous fidgeting. Although, like all other freshmen, he'd been given a tour of the campus, it was so big they hadn't gotten through the entire thing and much was simply explained verbally. He wasn't too good with that sort of thing. Neither were these guys either apparently.

"Hey, you guys freshmen?" He strode up to the nearest one, a short yellow creature who was typing at his phone. He looked up.

"Yeah. Psychologist major." The monster replied monotonously before turning his attention back to his screen.

"Oh, makes sense I guess," the red furred monster laughed, looking up at the building. They must all be psychology students then, "names Thomas." He stuck out a clawed hand to the other monster, who took a moment to reluctantly take it.

"Can I do something for you, Thomas?"

A little disappointed he didn't give his own name in return, Thomas continued.  
"I'm also a freshmen, was wondering if you knew where the scare building is?"

The yellow monster thought for a few seconds before pointing behind the psychology building.  
"That way."

"Thanks." Thomas strode off. Although a little put off by the lack of friendliness from a fellow freshmen, he knew things would get better from here. It was his first day of college, first real taste of freedom and adulthood. First real step in the direction he dreamed of.

Thomas circumnavigated the building, coming across many other students, seniors and freshmen alike, and found himself before the gargantuan structure. His breath hitched slightly as he gazed up at the magnificent architecture that formed the scare building. The gargoyles set on either side of the staircase, watching ominously as students climbed up and down them. The pillars keeping part of the very heavy looking ceiling up were equally astonishing. To think mere monsters did this with a couple of tools and machinery.

When he realized he probably looked like an idiot, Thomas quickly hurried off in the direction of the dorms. He knew his way from here. The scaring building was one of the first places the tour arrived at. Monsters University was famous for producing some of the best scarers and also acted as a connection to Monsters Incorporated, the best scaring company around. Of course it was the first place they were going to visit. Thomas didn't remember admiring the architecture during the tour though.

The red monster took some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one carrying luggage. Unfortunately for him, Thomas had more than just a simple backpack and togbag like many of the other had. He felt somewhat over prepared. Better over prepared than under prepared, he supposed.

He approached the receptionist, a cyan monster with thick horns on either side of his head.

"Hi there." Thomas hoped he was in the right place. He reacted with a large smile to which Thomas broadly reciprocated.

"Thomas Ghola. This is the right building, right?"

He chuckled while reaching below the desk.

"Don't worry, you're not lost. Ghola, huh? Sounds familiar."

Thomas' brightened even further.  
"The scarer. He's my dad."

The receptionist chuckled again.  
"Who knew. You're a scaring major huh? Crazy small world, you're the second son of a scarer to have come in today."

"Second?"

"Bill Sullivan's kid is also staying in this building, a freshman like you. And…" he continued, searching through the a folder "on the same floor too it seems. You're on floor three, room three twenty seven." He looked up from the folder, swiftly disappearing beneath the desk and coming up with a key. He handed it over to Thomas' open hand.

"You're roommate is up there already."

Thomas felt a slight twinge of nervousness and he walked up the stairs. He was worrying for nothing though. He'd gotten along with majority of of monsters most of his life, this one would be no different. The corridors were packed with luggage and monsters, either mulling about talking or looking for their rooms. He made his way around and through them, throwing a few greetings here and there.

Three twenty four.  
Three twenty five.  
Three twenty six.  
Three twenty seven. Here he was.

Thomas knocked before going in, finding a slimy, slug-like monster making his bed. He introduced himself as Edward Simmerman. Thomas would have properly introduced himself were it not for the slugs constant speaking. Apparently he liked to hear himself talk. Thomas' luck hadn't been good after all.

While replying with a few 'yeahs' and 'interesting', Thomas managed to unpack all his luggage and sat across his bed with a sigh. Edward had also finished unpacking and went down to the café on campus for some dinner. Fortunately, he hadn't invited Thomas to tag along, he didn't know how he was going to deal with his constant yammering. The room felt sweet with the silence that permeated it. It wasn't long before he found himself asleep.

The alarm blared angrily in Thomas' ears, which shifted back to escape the screech. Begrudgingly, he shifted up in bed, turning it off. Thankfully he remembered to put it on in the first place. Edward was out already, probably for breakfast.  
Checking the time on the clock, Thomas found that it was eight thirty.

He hadn't eaten since he got here and his body had realized it. He could definitely go for a big breakfast.

So with some unhappiness, Thomas left the warmth of his bed, tried to comb down some of his fur, threw a jacket on and exited the building. If he thought monsters were up and about yesterday, they were walking in the masses today. Huge numbers of students were around, many of them just hanging around on the park benches. He didn't see a familiar face from the tour. He'd met a lively girl there who was also a scaring major and had spoken on and off with her during the duration of the tour. She was very sweet. He hoped to see her again.

Now all he had to do was find the café. After receiving some directions - he didn't take much note during the tour- he eventually located it. Just outside the entrance to the park beside the medical faculty. Turns out its name was the United café, and sold just about any food you could dream of. Well, almost, they didn't have any a good range of salads. Not that Thomas was complaining, he enjoyed the pizza he got instead. As he consumed slice after slice he realized how lively the entire campus really was. His father had told him how boring university life could be, but Thomas was beginning to doubt that.

He attempted to chat up the waitress to no avail. She refused to give a stranger her number so he promised to make himself familiar. She laughed and walked off. Thomas left feeling energetic about the day ahead of him.

Soon it was time for his first class: scaring 101 with professor Knight. He returned to his dorm to get his books, running into Edward before quickly hurrying off. Climbing up the stairs of the scare building was just as amazing as looking upon them. He eagerly slapped the claw of the gargoyle as he passed, feeling ready for anything.  
Until he took his seat and begun to feel fatigue overcome him. He supposed it was a subconscious response since he would fall asleep in nearly all his classes in high school. His academics weren't the best they could be. At least that's what his father said.

He had to suck it up and pay as much attention as he could. He looked sidelongs, watching a monster a row down sipping a coffee and envy filled him. He should pick one up before every class.

Then professor Knight came in and introduced himself. Thomas felt slightly better about being taught by an actual scarer. Just as he finished stating that nothing scared him, he let out a yelp as the window atop the hall was opened and one by one, each curtain closed. Thomas looked up in confusion along with many others to see the origins of this new disturbance.

"The Dean…" He heard someone behind him whisper harshly.

As if summoned, the Dean appeared beside professor Knight, leveling a stern gaze upon the students. Good God was she horrifying.  
Thomas looked on with his teeth clenched in anticipation. He wasn't sure why the monsters around him were so nervous, the Dean was obviously an imposing figure, but that was her job. Not only was she a big time scarer a couple years ago, she was a scare record holder. He hadn't expected this much action on his first day.

"I don't mean to interrupt. I just thought I'd drop by to see the... terrifying faces joining my program." Her eyes survey the room, running over many of the students, Thomas included, causing the red monster to shift eagerly in his seat.

"Well, I'm sure my students would love to hear a few words of..." Professor Knight paused for a moment, "inspiration?"

"Inspiration?" The Dean spoke the word like she didn't understand its meaning, "very well. Scariness; is the true measure of a monster. If you're not scary…" she glared in the direction of a green monster in the front row, "what kind of a monster are you? It's my job to make great students greater. Not make mediocre students less mediocre. That is why at the end of the semester there will be a final exam. Fail that exam, and you are out of the scaring program."

A cacophony of harsh whispers and gasps filled the room. Thomas' small smirk disappeared, replaced with wide-eyed fear. Never had he taken into account that he'd come out his degree without- well, a degree. Was she even allowed to do that? There was no way it could be legal. The centipede-like monster continued through the confusion.

"So, I should hope you're all... properly... inspired." The humor in her eyes Thomas had perceived when she arrived was utterly gone, replaced by a cold, calculating look.  
The Dean's wings spread behind her with ominous timing and she took off, flying around the room once before exiting through a window.

"What the hell?" Thomas whispered to himself, dumbstruck. This had to be some sort of prank, something the professors pulled on the freshmen each year. Professor Knight's expression didn't reflect any humor however.

"Alright, alright," he tried to calm the class down, "who can tell me the properties of an affective roar?"

Thomas head was still reeling from Hardscrabbles announcement. He couldn't think of anything relevant. Suddenly a hand went up.

"Yes?"

The green monster in the front row was the owner of the hand. He got up off his chair and Thomas saw how diminutive he really was. Was he seriously here to become a scarer? He didn't look in the least bit scary. What  _was_ scary however was how pretentious he sounded.

"There are actually five: those include the roar's resonance; the duration of the roar; and the-" before he could complete, a ground shaking roar sounded at the back of the room. Everyone whirled around to see an imposing figure standing against the light from outside, arms in the air- claws out. The room fell eerily silent after the roar ceased, but not for too long because the monster who roared came in to the light and revealed himself as a blue and purple, well built monster with two small horns on either side of his head.

"Oop! Sorry, I heard someone say 'roar' so I just kinda went for it." The monster said with a smirk across his face. He begun making his way to a free desk, passing through a few monsters, making quips along the way.

Thomas had calmed enough to realize how fast his heart was beating.  
"Douchebag." He muttered under his breath.

"Very impressive, mister…?" Professor Knight acknowledged the new arrival.

"Sullivan, Jimmy Sullivan."

"Sullivan? Like- Bill Sullivan? The scarer?"

"Yeah, he's my dad." The room broke into another round of hushed mutterings.  
So this was the son of Bill Sullivan? Thomas crossed his arms and huffed.

"I should've known. I expect big things from you."

"Welp," the furry idiot fell easily into a chair, throwing his arm lazily over its backrest, "you won't be disappointed."

Thomas felt a little disappointed.

The green sphere had been silent until now.  
"Um, I'm sorry. S- should I keep going?"

Professor Knight waves him off.  
"Nah, nah. Mister Sullivan's covered it."

On cue, Sullivan winks at the professor, clicking his tongue as he does so, coaxing a chuckle from him. Thomas shakes his head in annoyance, then looked down at the green monster below who had taken his seat quietly and felt a small pang of pity. First day in class and already embarrassed. And by an obvious douchebag no less.

"Everyone take out your scaring textbooks and open them to chapter one." Knight turns to the board and the lesson commences.

* * *

 "And since then, I've never forgotten to pull up the handbrake!"

The three monsters around Thomas burst into laughter. The red furred monster let the laughter run over him like a shower of acceptance.

"Damn, Ghola, I didn't realize you were  _that_  bad of a driver." Cal, a short brown monster chortled as he took another sip of his beer.

"Neither did my dad." He answered with a dumb smile on his face, earning more laughs from the small group.

Somewhere along the line, Thomas' last name had been passed around through campus and, just like Sullivan, he had become somewhat like a celebrity among the freshmen. He enjoyed the attention but throughout the week it had grown annoying. It seemed useful however, when he was invited personally to a sorority and fraternity party hosted around the JOX frathouse. Naturally, he came.

He wondered about a little bit, making small talk with a few monsters here and there, before finally approaching a PNK girl. Normally he wouldn't be so bold but she was alone, leaning against one of the walls staring into nothingness. He decided if he was going to make friends outside the freshmen that knew him, he'd have to put himself out there.

With a sizable swig of alcohol, he walked over and introduced himself. The girl turned out to be Naomi Jackson, definitely a PNK girl. They chatted for a bit and Thomas' confidence had begun to falter. That is until her friend, a diminutive purple furred monster came over and sparked up the conversation again. From there, Cal, a fellow freshmen in Thomas' scaring 101 class joined in and before Thomas knew it he was telling them the story of how he learned to drive and the subsequent disaster afterward.

"So thinking of joining a fraternity anytime soon, big guy?" Naomi's friend asked.

Thomas thought for a moment. Although he hadn't thought too hard on it, he was definitely interested. He'd heard about the various frats around campus but hadn't thought as far as making a move to join any of them. He decided to answer truthfully.

"Who knows, if someone will have me then sure." Thomas shrugged.

Naomi smiled and winked.  
"Maybe I can mention your name to a friend."

Thomas didn't want to get in because of any special treatment but he wasn't going to pass up the chance. He gave her a smile.

"I can't tell you how much I'd appreciate it."

Her smile turned sly.  
"I'm sure you can."

Thomas' smile became mischievous as he crossed his arms.  
"Oh? Do tell."

Before she could answer, a scuffle was heard in the front of the house. It wasn't enough to deter Thomas from his gaze upon the PNK girl however. It was only when her three eyes widened and a sudden rush of movement behind him, did he turn his eyes away from her. He caught sight of a blue blur come running out the adjacent room, giggling as he came by. Thomas' tail was shoved out the way, causing him to reach out and grab the wall to regain his balance.

"The hell?" He tried to catch sight of whatever bumped into him.

"Was that- Sullivan?" Cal asked bewildered.

Sullivan, here? Just when Thomas thought he'd escaped the blue lug from class he comes in hot and ruins his game. A loud bang sounded outside on the back porch, through which Sullivan had barged, and a couple of gasps and snickers were heard. Thomas huffed and walked out onto the porch, spotting Sullivan chasing… was that Mike Wazowski? Riding… a pig?

"What the…" Thomas' eyes narrowed as he watched them disappear.

"That was insane." Naomi's friend said beside the red monster. All of them had followed him out onto the porch.

"Oh no." Naomi gasped, rushing up to a familiar lithe figure, "are you okay?"

The purple lizard that Thomas recognized from his scaring class- a freshmen like him- had what looked like cake frosting all down his front and face. Two HSS girls on either side of him were snickering openly. Naomi came up to his side and tentatively touched his shoulder. He recoiled, moving away from the touch, whilst simultaneously trying to rub the frosting out his eyes.

"No!" He shouted, "just-"  
And then he was off, rushing down the steps and away from the house, everyone's gaze now lingering on him as he scurried away.

"Wow." Cal simply stated.

Naomi, beside Thomas, tutted unhappily.  
"Poor guy. I saw him earlier with cupcakes, they must have bumped into him."

"Cupcakes?" Thomas raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen any cupcakes inside.

"Been offering to everyone here." Naomi's friend spoke up.

Thomas was about to speak up, the words 'what a dork' on his tongue, but Naomi said sadly, "It was sweet. I hope he's alright.'

Normally, Thomas would of scoffed and reassured whomever was saying that that the other monster would be fine in time. But now, it was different.

"I'll go check up on him." Thomas said suddenly, already beginning to make his way down the steps.

Cal laughed.  
"Really, man? I'm sure he's okay."

"You're a sweetheart, Thomas." Naomi smiled endearingly at the red monster. Bingo. He gave her a small smile back before jogging after the lizard. He didn't like this whatsoever but what did he care, Naomi seemed to like a caring guy. He could be a caring guy.

Soon the ruckus of the party died down as Thomas left the vicinity, eventually relying on small trails of frosting to follow the freshmen. His patience grew thin quickly and when he was about to call off the hunt he entered the park, which was absolutely derelict. Except for one figure on a bench.

Being as quiet as he could, Thomas toed closer to the bench, stopping just outside the circle of light which came from one of the lamps. The lizard sat miserably on the bench, arms draped around himself as he stared at the ground before him.

He sniffed a couple of times. Was he crying? He just got some cupcake in his face, it wasn't  _that_  bad. Eventually, Thomas grew tired of watching the lizard wallow and stepped out, no longer trying to hide his presence.

The purple monster immediately saw him and with a gasp, disappeared.  
Just- disappeared.  
Thomas stopped and blinked in confusion.

"Wha-" he frowned. He couldn't just disappear. Wait.  
Frosting?  
There was just frosting floating there on the bench. Then it occurred to Thomas.  
Invisibility.

"Hey, you're still here, right?" He called out.  
No response.

"Whats your name?"  
Nothing.

"I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're… fine." Thomas continued to stand there, staring at the space where the lizard should be, quietly debating what good would come of this. He huffed, ready to turn and return to the party, already coming up with something to tell Naomi that would win him more points.  
'I ran after him but by the time I caught up, he'd vanished. I'll find out how he's doing in class tomorrow.'

With a satisfied smirk, Thomas turned on his heel.

"Randall." A quiet voice said in the night. Thomas froze, brow furrowed. He hadn't left?  
The lizard suddenly reappeared on the bench, eyes still on the ground and arms resting at either side of him.

"Randall?"

"My name," he replied, looking up at Thomas, "Randall Boggs."

The red monster sighed and walked over to the bench, trying to put on a friendly smile.  
He extended a clawed hand.

"I'm Thomas- Thomas Ghola."

The lizard didn't bother taking his hand, instead chuckling a bit.  
"Everyone knows who you are."

He supposed they did. Thomas looked about awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. He couldn't go back to the party without some kind of good news. He sat down beside Randall.

"I guess so, but not everyone knows my middle name."  
Thomas left the bait there, hoping the lizard would take it. He did.

"Middle name?"

"Yeah, don't laugh-" he said very seriously before dramatically sighing, "it's Susanna."

Randall let out a laugh. It rolled out his mouth, like small waves and had a pitch that was far from obnoxious- reserved perhaps. It withered away quickly, and the lizard cleared his throat, attempting to cover up. Thomas' mother used to tell him that you could tell a lot about someone by their laugh, he didn't quite understand the concept, but listened out for it anyways.  
Randall looked at Thomas, who was pouting. His amused expression suddenly disappeared and he grimaced.

"Oh God, really? I'm sorry."

Thomas' mouth broke into a wide smile of teeth. His father often told him not to show off all his teeth whilst smiling since it was unsettling. Thomas had taken great offense to that and smiled as often as he could around his family in that manner. He didn't do it much around strangers, but he wanted to see this guy squirm. He did, and it brought Thomas a mountain of pleasure.

"Don't stress," his smile brightened into something somewhat more friendlier, "its not Susanna." He laughed at the perplexed face of the lizard.

"It's not? What is it then?" Randall gave a weak chuckle.

Thomas waved his question away.  
"I only give that information out on serious dates. Its not as bad as Susanna but its close." He laughed again and so did Randall.

Whelp, mission successful. Now he could go back to the party with good news and hopefully Naomi appreciates the effort. He was, however, curious as to why exactly the lizard would bring cupcakes to a party.

He voiced his thoughts a moment later.  
"So Randy, how'd you end up bringing cupcakes and why wasn't I offered one?"

Thomas really didn't care whether he was offered one or not, he never had much of a sweet tooth in the first place. What he did care about was leaving this guy in a better mood.

Randall fidgeted, running at his hands.  
"I just- I…"

Thomas raised an eyebrow. How'd he get flustered so quickly. This better not be what he's like all he time.  
"Yeah?"

"I like to bake."

"Oh, so you made those yourself?"

Randall nodded.  
"Just needed a conversation starter."

It was a conversation starter, alright.  
His mood was darkening, Thomas had to think of something. He suddenly reached out and dragged a finger across the top of the lizards head, gathering a small lump of frosting. Randall pulled away quickly, eyes wide and questioning. Thomas inspected the frosting. It looked normal, not like he was an expert on any of that stuff regardless, he pretended to inspect it.

"Consistency's good. Nice colour," he brought it just below his nose, "smells like hard work."

Randall watched on, a slowly spreading look of amusement appearing in his eyes. Thomas finally stuck it into his mouth and immediately tasted a sweetness he couldn't fathom. He pushed down the urge to cringe and instead made deliberate motions with his jaw, like he was taste testing a fine wine. He swallowed quickly.  
Randall looked on expectantly.

"Its definitely frosting," Thomas concluded, resulting in a small chuckle from the lizard, "but it's seriously sweet, like I'm not sure if its just me or…"

The lizard nodded in acknowledgement.  
"It's supposed to come with a cupcake as well. Eating frosting alone isn't as good. But it kinda explains why so few took any, probably put too much icing sugar in."

'No, they just weren't lame enough to indulge' Thomas thought.

"But I guess I know for next time." Randall shrugged.

Was he seriously going to try that again?

"I guess," Thomas said, scratching at his ear, "but I'm keeping you, you should go get cleaned up." The red monster stood, followed shortly by the purple.

"Yeah," Randall said sheepishly, "thanks for coming after me."

"Don't mention it, buddy."

'But a good word here and there wouldn't hurt'.

"Have a good night." Thomas waved as he begun to stride away. He wondered what he missed out at the party, he hoped the others hadn't left yet.

"Uhh- Thomas." Randall called.

Thomas looked over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe we can… hang out some time?" The lizard grimaced, almost like the awkwardness of the words hurt him. It hurt Thomas too.

"Sure thing, buddy." He chirped before continuing on. He actually had no intention of following through with that and would forget all about his conversation late into the night when he'd be busy playing beer pong, drunk out of his mind.

But if he'd looked behind him one last time, he may have caught Randall's gleaming, frosting covered, face.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do we even have this class?" Thomas silently seethed to himself as he stomped out the doors of the scare building, brushing past his classmates as he went. He despised the science of scaring.  
_Hated_  it.

Professor Knight wasn't a bad lecturer- of course he could lay back a bit on kissing Sullivan's ass at every possible opportunity- but no matter how much caffeine Thomas pumped himself with or how hard he tried to pay attention, he could never grasp the idea of 'fears'.

If he could agree with Sullivan on one thing, it was that scaring was predominantly skill, not knowledge. You could know all the ins and outs of how to perform a scare but it wouldn't help if you couldn't do so effectively in a real world situation. Theory was important of course, Thomas knew that well enough, but he didn't understand how heavily focused the syllabus was in this regard. He'd formed a mental block on the idea, and it was stopping him from taking in any information from class.

It had been a week and Thomas was on the verge of giving up entirely on trying to pay attention and not even go to lectures. But he knew his father would disapprove, and the small fact that Sullivan did just that made Thomas want nothing to do with the idea.

Nothing of much note had happened after the party. Thomas had gone back but found that Naomi had already left. He instead hung out with a few girls from EEK but that ended swiftly, turned out one of them had a boyfriend. So instead he went to help several monsters fix the ping pong table which Sullivan had apparently broke on his rampage through the house. It wasn't quite even anymore so instead they decided to play beer pong and promptly invited Thomas into a game. By the end of the night he was beyond lucid and had clumsily made his way back to his dorm. Edward wasn't pleased being woken up so late, but Thomas ignored him and fell in a heap on his bed, promptly falling asleep.

The next day he had heard of a few of his achievements throughout the night, most honourable of all: beating a monster named Zeke in a pick up line battle. Thomas was glad he never remembered it though, he knew of some very vulgar pick up lines. He'd also learned of the theft of Fear Tech's mascot, Archie the scarepig, which explained Sullivan's antics the night before. He'd been picked up by the president of JOX- Big Red, if Thomas remembered correctly- and had promptly been accepted into their ranks.

Since then he's seen Sullivan with that yellow and red letterman jersey acting like an even bigger douchebag. It made Thomas feel slightly bad about not being invited into fraternity yet. He knew it would come eventually though, all he needed was patience.

He entered the United café, finding a seat quickly and ordering a large coffee and pizza from the waitress he'd become familiar with. Her name was Angie.  
Thomas immediately grabbed some of his books and chucked them onto the table, where he glared at them hotly. He supposed he had to go through the work again, otherwise there was no way it would stick and he'd flunk his next test.

With a muffled groan he opened up his fear encyclopedia, a thick book holding the definitions of every fear imaginable, including what tactic to implement, a breakdown of its history, examples of where it was most prominent and at what age and what may cause it. It all felt like a heap of unnecessary information that Thomas would never put to use. But it wasn't about what he wanted to do, it was about what he needed to do. He needed to do well in practical  _and_  theory in order to remain in the scare program and graduate to become a scarer.  
And by God, he needed that.

His pizza and coffee came and he dug in hungrily. He felt bad eating pizza, since it wasn't exactly healthy, but he always found he thought better with some grease in his stomach. He just needed to work it off later.  
As he read, he realized how little attention he was paying to what the words meant. He would read a paragraph, only to realize at the end of it he hadn't actually paid attention to the words and had to start over. Eventually he shut the book angrily and let out a frustrated groan. He shoved his head into the table, tugging at his ears.

He understood why his father said that university life would be hard. He didn't believe it at the time, not when he said that it was also boring, which it turned out to be anything but.

Soon all Thomas did was sit there, eyes closed and mind almost blank as he ventured between memories of home. It hadn't been a month yet and he was already missing it. He wondered how his sister was doing.

"Thomas." A small voice spoke out. Thomas didn't respond, believing it was his imagination. But when the voice persisted with two tentative pokes to his shoulder, Thomas looked up.

The purple lizard before him waved his hand awkwardly.  
"Hi."

Thomas panicked, his mind wracking to find a name. His eye twitched as he let out a long 'uhm'.

"Randall." The purple monster smiled sheepishly.

"Randall!" Thomas nearly shouted, "hey, whats up, buddy?"

Thomas felt bad that he hadn't remembered, but the lizard didn't seem too concerned.  
He shrugged.

"University, I guess. You?"

Thomas chuckled as he gestured to his encyclopedia.  
"Ditto. This stuff is such a pain. Oh, hey, sit."  
He pointed to the empty booth across from him. Randall hesitated before putting his bag down and climbing in. Thomas watched how his lower body moved into the seat and wondered how awkward it must be to sit in any seat.

"You want something?"

"Just a soda."

Thomas threw his hand around in the air, catching the attention of Angie, who came by and took Randall's order.

"So you normally study here?" Randall implored, looking down at his book.

Thomas shook his head.  
"Nah, normally the library. Just needed some grub in me to help make…" he opened the book to the page he was working on, squinting a the words before shutting it again, "'arachnophobia' stick."

Randall grinned.  
"Not listening in class?"  
He dropped his grin when he saw Thomas' unamused expression.

That was exactly the problem. He  _was_  listening, it just wasn't staying. He didn't want to come across as some sort of dumb brute either, regardless of his less than stellar academic record and notoriety in high school, he wanted to appear somewhat knowledgeable.

"Nah, its just easier to learn immediately after being taught." He lied.

Randall nodded and diverted his gaze out the window, locking on to something in the park. Thomas got a better chance to look at his face now that it wasn't covered in frosting.  
In the dark of the night, Thomas hadn't really noticed the fronds atop his head or the squint in his eyes. Vision seemed like something he was fighting for.

"You wear glasses?"

The lizards eyes widened slightly before fidgeting.  
"That obvious?"

"You look like you're glaring," Thomas replied honestly, "where are they?"

"In my dorm."

"You're not gonna wear them?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

Randall opened his mouth to speak before shutting it again. He did this again before finally saying, "They give me away, when I'm camouflaged."

Thomas frowned. He had thought the monster could turn invisible. Camouflage made more sense though. He made a note to ask Randall about it later.

"So? Not like you're gonna use it all the time."

"I know… its just…"  
The lizard hesitated, deciding to take a sip of his soda.

"Don't worry about it, buddy." Thomas shrugged. He didn't really care what sort of insecurities this guy had. He wasn't even sure why he had been so invested in this conversation in the first place.

Randall hummed, taking a deep breath as he spoke.  
"If you want help-" he paused, "if you want to join a study group, me and my roommate are available every afternoon. He's big on the fear stuff, definitely helped me a bunch."

Thomas narrowed his eyes for a moment. He saw Randall's not so subtle change of wording. He was glad the lizard hadn't outright called Thomas out on his previous bluff, but just knowing that he knew made Thomas annoyed. But the idea of a study group was appealing, especially since it would be with what sounded like a nerd. If he could get simple summaries of the work they covered every lecture, then Thomas may be able to cram that into his head significantly easier. If he didn't like it he'd just leave. There was nothing to lose.

Thomas' ears perked as a smile appeared on his face.  
"Sure, I'm up for it."

"Great," Randall reciprocated the smile, "tomorrow after class?"  
He got up reaching for his bag.

"See you there."

Randall smiled again, reaching for his wallet in his bag. Thomas decided he'd try and make a good impression.

"Hey, don't stress, I got it."

Randall gave a sort of frown, sort of wide eyed look.  
"Are you sure?"

"Its just a soda." Thomas affirmed. Randall reluctantly put his wallet back into his bag and thanked the maroon monster before leaving.

Thomas thought to himself where he was going with this. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of befriending a monster like Randall. But what kind of monster was he? Thomas ate the rest of his pizza in pensive silence, trying decipher whether the study group was really a good idea.

* * *

 

"Hey, Thomas!" A familiar lithe figure snaked its way across the space between them. Thomas watched in fascination as Randall come up to rest in front of him. The lizard's body appeared boneless at times.

"Randy, hows it going?"

"You still coming to study with us?"  
Randall gestured behind him, making Thomas gaze over his head. He spotted the green sphere from the front row coming over. Mike Wazowski was his roommate? Thomas couldn't keep the small frown that creased his eyebrows. He hoped Randall didn't notice his apprehension.

Handling the lizard was one thing, he was agreeable and somewhat unsure of himself, Mike however was his own monster and would often sass classmates who looked at him wrong- almost always Sullivan- and walked around in this annoying, pretentious way. Thomas retained his opinion; Wazowski didn't belong here.

"Yeah." Thomas replied stoically as he watched the sphere approach.

"Ghola." Mike acknowledged the maroon monster.

"How's it going, Michael?" Thomas responded with just as little effort.

Randall hadn't noticed any of Thomas' reluctance and quickly begun the trek back to their dorm room, something Thomas also felt uneasy about. It was like crossing a threshold. If you knew somebody and spoke to them occasionally, you weren't obligated to greet them if you happened to see them outside of class or make small talk. When you stepped into someone's personal space it was another ball game.

Thomas wasn't sure about Randall. He just didn't see what a friendship with him would achieve. Perhaps he was worried Randall would attach himself to Thomas and follow him around like a lost puppy all day. Kinda how Chet did with Johnny. Every time he'd seen the ROR president he'd seen the crab following. The thought that Randall would do this was enough to give Thomas a cold shiver. He'd have to make boundries.

"Home, sweet, home." Randall opened the door to his room. He was only five or so doors down the hall from Thomas' own dorm. Strange to think they'd been so nearby all this time and they hadn't bumped into one another. Mike walked in wordlessly, throwing his bag on his bed and pulling books out onto his desk before Thomas had even entered.

Randall stepped up to his bed and pulled out books slower, more deliberately. He was definitely nervous. Thomas wondered how many friends this guy really had. The maroon monster walked up beside him, inspecting the posters and pictures on Randall's side.

A few promotional MU merch. A large picture of a tree with leaves being blown from it, beneath the text read: 'winds of change'. Thomas rolled his eyes at how cheesy it was, turning his attention to a poster that made him hum.

"What?" Randall questioned.

"You listen to 'Violet Monsters'?" Thomas felt the sides of his mouth tug sideways in something resembling a grimace.

Randall looked up in confusion at the poster, which depicted the boy band in a compositionally unsound order, pulling model-wannabe postures.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Nothing," Thomas looked away, afraid he might show his amusement and surprise at its presence, "just never took you for a pop kinda guy."

"Alright, let's do this." Mike announced loudly, falling back on his bed with an encyclopedia in his hands.

Thomas grabbed his own and opened it. He hoped this wouldn't last long.

* * *

 

Thomas had eventually found himself on Randall's bed, splayed out open it lazily as he listened to the lizard and Mike pass questions to one another. Turns out Thomas had been slow to finding the rhythm that their sessions apparently had. He agreed to sit out for a little bit after an hour of annoyed glances from Wazowski and read on his own for a while. He'd grown bored quickly and begun to fool around. First he tapped his claw again the cover of his book, creating a almost musical rhythm before a long glare from Mike forced him to cease. He then busied himself with studying the ceiling above him before that became too boring. He then shifted his long ears around in a circular motion, practicing so that he could do it more effectively. Not many monsters had ears, almost none, and the monsters who did couldn't move them like Thomas could. It was a useful party trick.

Eventually Mike had cracked. He'd noticed it for quite a while and found it distracting. Thomas merely stated Mike was jealous because he had ears. After telling him off, Mike decided he needed a break and went off to get everyone coffee.

"You think I made him mad?" Thomas chuckled.

Randall smirked a little.  
"He's pretty easy to aggravate. Especially when it comes to studying."

"You don't take it as seriously as he does." Thomas stated factually.

"I admire that about him actually," Randall answered, leaning back in his chair. Thomas looked up, over to him, "I've always had good grades, but it always seems like time wasted studying. Mike just… does it."

"He just  _overdoes_  it." Thomas corrected. Randall shrugged. Silence ensued.

"Anyways," Thomas pulled himself off the bed, "I'd better get going."

"What about your coffee?"

"Eh, you can drink it. You'll be needing it more than me." Thomas walked to the door, opening it and readying to leave. He stopped though, a nagging feeling keeping him back.  
Manners- his mother often reminded him to keep his manners through thick and thin. He supposed he had to compensate in words for cutting this study session short. He turned to see Randall standing in the middle of the room, watching him.

"Thanks for inviting me, it helped."

It didn't.

"We should do it again some time."

He wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Thank Mike for me as well."

Wazowski hadn't been helpful in the least.

"Sure," Randall fidgeted, a nervous smile on his face, "thanks for coming, I wasn't sure if you actually meant it."

Thomas pretended to be offended.  
"I stick by my words, buddy. Next time you wanna hang just come find me."

He sincerely hoped it wouldn't be often, or soon if he was honest.  
"A-alright," Randall walled to the door, watching as Thomas begun walking away, "thanks Thomas." He called out.


	3. Chapter 3

Another afternoon spent in his dorm.  
Thomas sighed as he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to study, but couldn't find the energy. He wanted to do nothing and sleep, but he had too much energy. Something menial with minimal mental strain would be perfect, but Thomas couldn't think of anything.

Perhaps a jog. He definitely needed one after the unhealthy week he's had. He glanced up through the window, taking note of the miserable weather outside. Well, not miserable, but unpleasant. The wind was blowing, causing the already cool day to become colder due to wind chill. Not optimal running weather. He sighed and glanced at his phone. Maybe he should video chat with his father, perhaps ask how his sister was doing, he hadn't heard from her in a while. Thomas promptly thought better of it and put his phone down.

Edward had left a couple of hours ago, busy with afternoon classes and Thomas had the room to himself. He'd taken full advantage of the quiet and tried to relax. It didn't work out so well.

With a frustrated groan, Thomas got off the bed and threw on his jacket. He'd be proactive and take a walk. Maybe grab a coffee down at United. He left the building, immediately buffeted by the wind. He cursed to himself as he walked, regretting his decision to do so in the first place.

Only a few monsters were out today, probably also staying indoors to escape the cold wind. Thomas tightened his jacket around himself and trekked through the park, silently wishing he had a hat to protect his ears.

He finally reached the café, deciding to sit at the bar instead of a booth. Angie got him his coffee.

"I like your hairdo." She laughed, causing Thomas to prod at the fur atop his head. The wind had blown it up, causing it to stick up in random directions.

"Thanks. I decided to try something new today." He put on a dumb smile, coaxing a laugh from Angie. She left him to stare at his coffee. The warmth of the café and the coffee before him was enough to relax the red monster. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his hand, releasing a tired sigh. The café was silent, almost empty sans one or two regulars on the far side. He preferred it this way.

He wondered if he should have brought a book to study. No, that was a foolish idea. It wasn't like he'd take any of it in. He hadn't been to Randall's study group since the first attempt. Thomas just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to deal with that weirdo and that asshole again. Randall felt seemed genuinely excited about the session when he'd approached Thomas regarding it, causing Thomas to feel slightly bad that he barely concealed any discomfort or boredom during it. But like he'd thought of before- he had nothing to lose. And he hadn't lost anything. And if he did, at worst it would be Randall's acquaintanceship. They weren't friends, not even close. He hoped Randall saw it that way as well.

Then, speaking of the devil, the café door opened and a familiar voice spoke somewhere further down the bar.

"Two regular coffees please."

Angie replied in the affirmative and went off to fulfill the order. Thomas shrunk slightly lower in his seat.  
'Please don't look this way' became a mantra in his head, repeating over and over again in desperate hope. Of course that wasn't how things worked and the lizard must have caught sight of Thomas at some point because, "Hey, Thomas. Funny finding you here."

Thomas' ears perked up and he opened his eyes to look over at Randall. He attempted to put a surprised smile on his face but it came across more as an awkward smirk.

"Hey, Randall. Hah, yeah, seems we bump into each other a lot here."

If Randall noticed the horrible concealment he didn't mention it.

"You look like you should be in bed." The lizard chuckled, doing so further when he saw Thomas' hair.

Thomas self consciously tried to pat it down.  
"Yeah, yeah. The wind is bad. What about you? Two coffees? You studying with Mike again?"

The lizard raised an eyebrow.  
"So you did hear me come in."

Oh crap. Caught. Thomas gave a nervous laugh. He'd have to play this off well or outright admit he hasn't been looking forward to seeing Randall again. He chose the former.

"Wasn't sure if it was you or not," he pointed to his ears, "these thing pick up a lot of sound but aren't so great at differentiating."  
Then he wiggled then around in emphasis his point.

The imploring look on Randall's face disappeared when he saw the red monsters ears move that way. Thomas felt his unsure grin become a genuine dumb smile as he watched Randall break down in a fit of poorly held back giggles. He snorted once or twice as well, causing Thomas to begin laughing as well. He really was a dork.

The laughing subsided when Angie came over with Randall's order.

"Well, yeah. Better get back to Mike with this. Final exam isn't too far away so…"

Thomas wondered how agro the green sphere had become with studying now. In class he was a machine of answers for professor Knight, who'd obviously grown impressed by his progress. It made Wazowski more of a pretentious ass since he'd almost always appear unfathomably smug after getting praise from Knight. Thomas could deal with that though, especially since is was mostly directed at Sullivan, who didn't receive as much positive reinforcement from the professor.

It felt strange. Thomas despised Sullivan. But why?  
It wasn't like Sullivan had purposefully gone out his way to make life difficult for him. It could have been first impressions, since Sullivan had been a rather overconfident, self righteous monster from the beginning. Maybe it was jealously. Although Thomas would like to think it wasn't so, the possibility was there. Sullivan was drowning in girls and support from his fraternity. And here Thomas was, nearly falling asleep in cafés and attending fewer and fewer parties as the weeks rolled on. He wished he had the life of a stereotypical university student. The kind of life Sullivan had, albeit with better grades.

Thomas sighed. If he was jealous, that made things a little more complicated. He didn't have enough energy to think this through now.

"Thomas?"

"Yeah?"

"You… you zoned out for a second."

The red monster sheepishly scratched at his ear. An awkward buildup of tension was growing inside of him. Maybe he really was tired. He should go and have a nap.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just tired."

"Oh. Hah. You'd better go rest then. Our first lecture is going to be early tomorrow."

"Yeah," Thomas sighed, "damn, it blows."

Randall nodded for a second, bit his lip and turned.

"I'll see you later, Thomas." He said over his shoulder.

"Yeah." Thomas' entire persona felt like it was chipped away. He felt so out of it and confused. He must have creeped Randall out. Thomas didn't like that idea.

He merely watched as Randall left the café, the short duration the door was opened allowed the howl of the wind to be heard. It almost seemed to be getting worse. Randall steadied himself and the coffees against the gust, taking a moment to find good footing before walking. He had to be a lot lighter than Thomas, a fact that made his souring mood dampen even further. He should of offered some help.

Then, as Randall looked down, bracing himself against a particularly strong gust of wind, a familiar crab like figure rounded the corner. Both weren't looking where they were going. Thomas foresaw the bump and knew there was nothing he could do about it. He merely watched as Randall bumped into Chet, spilling most of the contents of a coffee onto the ROR member.

Both monsters stepped away, confused by the altercation. Then Chet's eye narrowed and he stormed up to Randall, a claw already up and pointed at the lizard in a threatening manner. Thomas couldn't hear what was being said but he could tell from the body language that it wasn't pleasant.

He watched as Chet gave the nervous lizard a shove, shouting at him now. The other coffee had already fallen to the ground, forgotten by Randall as he cowered beneath the other monsters gaze.

Thomas knew nothing good would come from watching this. Instead he turned around in his seat and forgot about the altercation behind him altogether. He would sip at the remainder of the coffee and wait a while for everything to get sorted outside before leaving. When he got home, he'd have a long nap, maybe just sleep through the entire night and wake up refreshed and rejuvenated. Then he'd go to class and forget Randall even existed. He'd gotten the gist of what his expressions meant. He was also beginning to feel uncomfortable around Thomas. He'd be doing them both a favor by just pretending like it all never happened. It would be best.

But instead of doing this, Thomas found himself striding through the door purposefully, barely feeling the wind as he marched up to the crab busy harassing Randall, who was truly cowering in fear now. Another ROR member stood behind Chet. Thomas didn't know the insect-like monster's name, but he knew he'd been a ROR for a while. He was nudging Chet with the back of his hand, seemingly trying to talk the furious crab down. He was doing a horrible job of it.

As Thomas reached them, he grabbed the large pincer that threatened Randall and shoved it away, temporarily taking Chet off balance. Both ROR members stared at Thomas in stunned silence. Thomas glared at them both hotly, ears flattened against his head and fur bristling slightly.

The red monster then looked down at Randall, finding the lizards eyes wide with fear and confusion. He turned back again to the duo, who had retrieved their senses.

"What the hell!" Chet exclaimed angrily, "this has nothing to do with you!" His lispy voice garbled his words slightly.

Thomas didn't answer, merely standing with his hands clenched tightly. He wanted nothing more than to punch the crab in his face, but that would come with sever consequences Thomas wasn't sure he could handle. He was coherent enough to see the folly in that. So instead, he stood quietly, trying to convey the message that this was over. The cockroach got it, and bumped Chet with his hand again, this time with finality.

"Leave it, Chet."

The crab seemed to want to object, but with a seething expression he turned and followed the other monster, who had given Thomas an inquisitive look, like he was being studied. Thomas didn't like it at all. The duo stepped into the café, leaving Randall and Thomas out in the wind. Randall did nothing but stare at the ground, as did Thomas.

Only now did the consequences of what he'd done hit him. ROR was a big deal among the MU students, especially scaring majors. He had no doubt that his actions would be advertised to the whole campus and he'd get lingering looks wherever he went. It could ruin his chances with a fraternity, or even better them. Regardless, it would definitely do something to his reputation. Was that what mattered though?

Thomas braved a look at Randall, who had begun getting up, brushing his underside off. The situation with Chet couldn't have been that bad, it wasn't like the crab was going to hurt Randall or anything. ROR wasn't known for violence. Yes, they were perhaps mean spirited, but who wasn't in this school? The other guy had been trying to get Chet to calm down. Albeit it wasn't done with much haste or effort, but he'd tried. The situation could of been a lot worse. All that was lost were two cups of coffee, a little bit of pride and their cool. Everyone would survive.

But the look on the lizards face told otherwise. The distraught expression made Thomas' gut twist uncomfortably. Randall eyes were glazed over, slick with tears that threatened to form and his hands were visibly shaking. Thomas lip curled in a grimace. Watching the lizard in such a state made him uncomfortable. He looked away, surveying the park and spotting no monsters about. The less that saw this the better.

"Randall," Thomas' voice croaked. The lizard looked up at the red monster, who was surprised to realize that he had never seen him this small before, "let's go."

He nodded, dragging a hand over his nostrils and sniffing. Thomas hadn't bothered asking if he was okay. It was obvious that he wasn't.

Thomas acted as a windbreaker for the shaky lizard as he escorted him to the dorm building. They didn't speak a word until the reached the lobby, by then Randall had calmed significantly.

"Thanks."

"You should watch where you're going." Thomas responded monotonously. The purple monster rubbed at his eyes.

"Yeah… probably won't help now though. Johnny'll find out."

"Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't… not anymore," Randall shrugged, "I just wanted to make a good impression, and then I go and empty a cup of coffee on the vice president." He released a hollow laugh.

Thomas frowned.  
"You wanted to join ROR?"

"Any fraternity would be good at this point. I've been contemplating joining Oozma Kappa, probably the only guys that'll accept me."

Thomas' dour mood broke upon hearing that. He let out a small chuckle.  
"You can't possibly mean that?"

Randall shrugged again.  
"Who cares… I can't believe I froze like that."

Sympathy sparked in Thomas. He tried to hide his pained expression.  
"I can't believe I nearly punched him."

"You nearly punched him?"

Thomas' ears flattened again and he looked away. Shame? Embarrassment? He wasn't sure.  
"Yeah, well, I didn't. That's all that matters."

They stopped outside Randall's room.

"Thanks… again…" Randall rubbed at his hands nervously, "I'm sorry you left your coffee behind."

Thomas had forgotten about his coffee.  
"Mm," he hummed, "wasn't good anyway. Angie is great at talking but not so great at making coffee."

Randall hummed as well.  
"Is… Is it-"

Thomas watched the lizard annunciate his words.  
"Yeah?"

"Is it too much to ask if you wanna hang out again?"

"Do I have to beat up any other fraternity members next time?"

Randall let out a laugh, very similar to the one in the park the first night they spoke.

"Hopefully I stay out of trouble long enough," he gave a mischievous smile before pulling a hand through his fronds, "I get it if you don't. I've been trying to force friendship on you since I met you and haven't done a very good job."

"I'll admit, you're not great friend material…" Thomas chuckled, "but I'm worse so if you can deal with that, then I think we'll get along well."

"I- yeah. Tomorrow?"

"After class."

Randall made to talk again, but quickly shut his mouth and stepped through the door.

"See you, buddy." Thomas waved as he walked down the hallway to his own room.

Unlike the other few times they spoke, this time they both walked away with smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to keep the length of chapters constant. Average for each will be around 2500 words to 3500, maybe a few that are a bit longer in between.
> 
> Kinda want the story to be a long - short sort of thing if that makes sense. Probably doesn't.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few weeks had been filled with some of the best moments Thomas had had since arriving at Monsters University. Randall and him were friends. Not just the kind of friends that greeted one another in the halls or hung out every now and then. They were the kind of friends that walked together after classes, went to parties together and studied together.

What Thomas had been apprehensive about, had led to all sorts of new possibilities which he hadn't known he'd been pining for. He finally had a  _real_  friend. Someone he could hang out with whenever he wanted, talk to naturally and look out for. He hadn't seen the value in befriending Randall at first, but it quickly became apparent to him after doing so.

Not only did his grades in theory go up, but he had someone he could talk to without holding back. Something he hadn't had in years. That was more important than anything else Randall offered him.

Even the batch of cupcakes the lizard now held in front of him at his door.

"This is… a very pleasant surprise." Thomas stated dumbly as he let Randall into his room.

The lizard snaked in quickly, keeping the tray packed with cupcakes level the entire way.  
"It was meant to be," he dropped the tray onto Thomas' desk, before turning back to the red monster with his hands on his hips, "its celebratory food."

Thomas shut the door.  
"Oh? What are we celebrating?"

"Your B+!"

"What?"

"You haven't checked the results?"

"It's up already?"

"You got a B+."

"I did?"

"Yeah!"

Thomas ears shot up and he threw his arms in the air.  
"What!"

Randall laughed at the red monsters excitement. He'd been working hard with him for weeks in private tutoring to get his marks above C, and it'd finally happened.

Thomas was swiftly calmed when his tail knocked over a chair. His ecstatic smile remained on his face though.

"Wait till my dad hears this." He flopped onto his bed, grabbing a cupcake and stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. When Thomas had told Randall he didn't have a sweet tooth, the lizard had tried his best to make some cupcakes with the least amount of icing sugar in them. Randall felt the result was too bitter, but Thomas liked it just fine. Since then he'd been baking with significantly less icing sugar. He didn't complain either, it was easier on his wallet.

"So what did you get?"

"A," Randall replied quickly, "just short of the plus."

"Nice."

"If we keep this up, the exam won't be a problem at all." Randall crawled onto a chair and pushed off the floor, spinning it a couple of times.

The big exam was less than a week away, looming over the heads of students. Thomas was glad one of them was confident about the exams, because he certainly wasn't. The words of Dean Hardscrabble had been etched into his head and repeated like a broken record for the past month.

'Fail that exam, and you are out of the scaring program.'

He knew it wasn't likely- especially with Randall's help- that he'd fail, but the possibility was nerve wrecking. His father had been pleased with his progress in theory and seemed more invested in the conversations about Thomas becoming a scarer.

"I hope so." Was all Thomas said.

They both sat in silence. It wasn't the silence filled with a mounting need to say something- anything in order to break it. More like the comfortable kind that is shared between two people who don't feel the need to fill it with anything. It came naturally.  
It was one of the ways that Thomas knew for sure that Randall would be a good friend.

It was eventually broken by Randall.  
"Hey, Thomas."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?"

Thomas chuckled.  
"What? You want to third wheel?"

"As if! No, I'm just curious, since- y'know, whenever you're at a party it's not like you never get an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Thomas frowned, "you make it sound like a girlfriend is something I just need to go out and grab. Nah, picking up chicks is a  _fine_  art," Thomas emphasized the word with his fingers, "the better question is: where's your girlfriend?"

"You're hilarious," Randall drawled, "maybe I'm just waiting for the right moment to ask them out."

"So you've found someone?" Thomas' face broke into a sly grin as he watched the flustered look on Randall's face worsen.

"Well…"

"Is she hot?"

"Well?"

"…Yeah."

"Is she nice?"

"Yeah."

"Does she know you exist?"

"Yeah."

"Does she have a name?"

"Yeah."

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"No."

Thomas shrugged, he got more out of the lizard than he bargained for. He couldn't help teasing though.  
"You embarrassed by her? I won't judge."

Randall didn't answer.

"Be like that then," Thomas scoffed, "sure sounds like quite a catch. How come you haven't reeled her in yet?"

Randall hesitated for a moment.  
"I… I'm not sure. Uncertainty?"

"That she's not into you?"

"I guess."

Thomas straightened up, providing Randall with a contemplative look. He appeared a little lost and unsure. He wondered how long he'd been thinking about this.

"Well- from what I've heard she sounds like the perfect girl, which means that she won't stay single for long. You'd better make a move soon otherwise you'll be competing with another guy," Thomas laughed, "if that's the case already I could always change the others guy's mind." He punched his palm a couple of times.

Randall snorted.  
"Thanks but I'd rather not see you get beaten up."

Thomas' smile disappeared and he huffed. Randall laughed. "But you're right," the lizard continued, "won't know until I've asked."

"If you wanna make a deadline, there's gonna be a party in frat row after the big exam. Good chance your girl's gonna be there."

Randall nodded pensively.  
"Yeah, I- yeah. That'll work."

Thomas smiled. He hoped Randall would find someone that treated him right. God knew he deserved it.

* * *

 

Fear chilled the maroon monster as he took each step up the staircase to the scare building. Its entrance seemed menacing in light of the sunny day out. From the moment he woke up till the moment he arrived, Thomas had been a nervous wreck. Over the span of he last few days, Randall and Thomas -joined by Mike during four of them- had been binge studying, preparing themselves for the exam. Randall was confident but Thomas was completely terrified, a vulnerability he didn't feel very often.

The stakes had never been this high before. This was literally his future on the line. If he screwed up there would be no second chances, no rewrites and no pity.

Students filtered in slowly from the surrounding quad, all desperately paging through textbooks, downing coffee or walking like zombies. Everyone was a mess.  
Except Randall Boggs and Michael Wazowski.  
The duo climbed up the steps, both asking one another questions enthusiastically. They passed right by Thomas, not registering his existence. Thomas would have found it amusing if he wasn't so stressed.

Then he saw Sullivan walk by with a JOX member, Percy Boleslaw- a deep purple cyclops with two huge horns. They were snickering about something. The blue monster often hung out with at least one member of the JOX most of the time, predominantly Percy and a yellow monster named Dirk Pratt, who was in their class. He seemed in fit in with the fraternity quite well.

Percy must have caught Thomas' gaze because he bumped Sullivan and nodded in the red monster's direction. Sullivan smiled when he saw Thomas, a gesture Thomas didn't quite understand. The duo approached him.

"Thomas, how's it going?" Sullivan's voice was friendly and carefree. He didn't seem as perturbed about the exam like everyone else was.

"Good as it can be with the exam and all." Thomas replied, putting on a polite smile himself.

"Oh yeah, it's pretty heavy, right? We fail then we get kicked out...  
Oh yeah, this is Percy." He indicated to the monster beside him, who threw in a 'hey'.

Thomas acknowledged Percy and turned back to Sullivan.  
"Enjoying the frat life?"

"You don't know what you're missing. Its great!"

Thomas released a hollow laugh.  
"You're right. I don't."

Sullivan frowned.  
"Hey, I didn't mean it like that."

"Course not, I'm sure you meant well." Thomas let his words taper off, hanging in the air.

There was a silence afterward and Thomas suddenly felt very misplaced. Sullivan was a douchebag but it wasn't alright to start something like this in front of his fraternity brother.

"Did I do something to piss you off, Thomas?" Sullivan asked, his expression showing confusion. It made the red monster even uneasier. His ears drooped.

"Nah… I'm sorry, Sullivan," Thomas dragged a hand across his face, "I'm being an asshole."

The blue monster snorted.  
"Yeah... anyways, good luck for the test," he begun walking off, "put that Ghola name to good use." He called over his shoulder.

"Sure." Thomas muttered back. His nervousness had died down somewhat, replaced instead by a disturbed confusion. Sullivan wasn't the bad guy, with the way Thomas was going on  _he_  was the bad guy. He had to make more of an effort to be nicer next time they spoke.

Then he caught sight of red in his peripheral. He turned to see a mob of ROR members on their way through the quad, approaching the building. Thomas frowned. None of their members were doing an exam today, why would they come? A bad feeling regarding Randall entered his head. They hadn't seen much of the fraternity since Thomas defended Randall outside the café. He couldn't help but wonder if they came to pay their dues.

Thomas eventually shook it off, labeling the idea as ridiculous and entered the hall, soon finding Mike and Randall in the front row whispering to one another. Professor Knight had begun setting the simulator up at this point.

"Randy. Mike." Thomas greeted the two as he took a seat.

"Hey, Thomas, where have you been?"

'Making a fool of myself.'

"Just got here now, what did I miss?"

"Not much. I think he's about to give us a run down now."

Mike shushed them both as the curtains were drawn across the room, leaving it dim. Professor Knight explained the simulator's difficulty had been increased and revealed that the Dean would be watching. Thomas immediately felt his nerves prickle at that.  
Then it begun.

Monsters went up one by one into the simulator, getting a run down of the child they were supposed to be scaring, including where they were from and what their fears were. The scarer would then be required to state the type of scare they would use before demonstrating. Mike didn't peel his eye away from his book, instead quietly asking himself questions and victoriously celebrating every time he answered correctly.

Randall was also looking at his book but seemed to sense something was off with Thomas.

"Thomas." He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

The question struck Thomas as strange. He gave Randall an imploring look, which was shot right back at him. He glanced back and saw the RORs had entered and claimed seats in the very back row.  
"I'll explain later." Was all that he said.  
Randall nodded.

"I'm so nervous."

Thomas chuckled.  
"You have no room to say that. You've got this in the bag."

Randall chucked as well.  
"Doesn't help my nerves though."

'Me too.' Thomas thought.

They sat in silence, watching as each student went up for their turn. Some of the scares were almost laughable due to poor execution. Others just straight up didn't use the right tactic. Thomas was glad he could point that out- it meant he was somewhat ready. He hoped he'd get a a fairly simple kid to scare.

Just then, Thomas heard a poorly concealed whisper behind him, followed by a snicker. It was Sullivan.

The blue monster walked down to the floor and passed by Thomas with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Thomas already knew whatever he was planning wasn't pleasant. As he passed by Mike, he let his hand knock against the pile of books he had stacked atop the small desk every seat was fitted with. They cluttered to the floor. All three of the seated monster stared after the perpetrator.

"Hey, do you mind?" Mike muttered with a narrowed eye.

Sullivan stopped beside the framework for the seats.  
"Don't mind at all." He replied carelessly.

He then proceeded to faux scare, letting out quiet roars as he practiced. And just when Thomas had thought that maybe Sullivan wasn't  _that_  bad of a guy. Mike got up and gathered his books angrily.

Randall had gotten up, decisiveness in his voice as he said, "C'mon, let's just move." He walked away, Thomas followed. It was the wisest thing to do. When they reached halfway across the hall, Thomas looked back to see Mike with all his books bundled under his arm, shock on his face.  
Now what?

The green monster turned on his heel and marched back to Sullivan and attempted to scare him. It was pitiful.  
Sullivan's face grew serious for a moment as he stepped up to Mike, before performing the same type of scare on Mike, who flinched.

"Randall." Thomas poked the lizard's shoulder. They had already taken seats on the other side of the hall and Randall didn't seem to be perturbed about the location of his roommate. Randall looked up at Thomas, who pointed at the two monsters making faces at one another.

"What are they…?" He frowned.  
Their mock growls were steadily becoming louder, causing a few students to look their way curiously. Randall looked up to the balcony from which Dean Hardscrabble watched. Her gaze shifted from the scare simulator to the monsters below. This was going to get out of hand quickly if they didn't stop their little testosterone match.

And just as expected, Sullivan took a step back, tripping over one of Mikes books, sending the blue giant sprawling backwards. Randall made a little sound as the monster's back connected with- unbelievably- the Dean's scream canister. Thomas only knew its importance because Randall had told him it was the very can that broke the all time scare record.

That very can tumbled noisily to the floor. Gasps sounded around the room, Thomas and Randall adding to the choir. Then everything significantly worsened. A scream pierced the room, bouncing off the walls and ceiling harshly. Immediately, Thomas was deaf. The only sound that existed then was that shrill shriek that sent needles into his brain. He clapped his hands over his ears as he watched the can fly upwards.

It hit the roof and rebounded across the room, flying through the air dangerously as it barely missed the heads of students. The lights in the room flickered as it passed. After bouncing across the hall once or twice more, it came to a rest at Mike and Sullivan's feet, where it promptly fell apart.

The silence was deafening.  
Then Hardscrabble came down from her perch whereupon she picked the remainder of the canister up. Thomas just barely saw the figure of Randall disappear out the corner of his eye.  
Mike and Sullivan apologized, resulting in a shockingly calm response from the Dean.

She then proceeded to 'continue' the exams, questioning both Mike and Sullivan much in the same way professor Knight did. She didn't give Mike a chance to perform his scare and told Sullivan he shouldn't continue in the program because of his lack of knowledge. Sullivan gave the green monster one last glare before storming out, Percy following. Hardscrabble then informed Mike that he wasn't scary and that the university couldn't help him. And then, it was over.

Hardscrabble left, everyone took their seats and professor Knight continued with the exam. Randall and Thomas both sat quietly beside one another, contemplating what happened. Thomas detested Sullivan and wasn't fond of Mike, but the manner in which they were kicked from the program was shocking. It was so sudden, matter of fact. Emotionless.

Thomas was stunned, but Randall was comparatively more overwhelmed. It made sense, Mike was his roommate and first friend here at MU. They studied together and hung out often enough. To see him belittled and cast aside like that must have been hard. The maroon monster finally decided they'd been moping for too long. They had an exam to pass after all.

"You ready?" He whispered over to Randall, who merely shrugged.

"I… no. I'm not ready."

"Randy," Thomas sighed, "you got to get your head out of it. There's no point in worrying about it now."

The lizard gave him an annoyed glance and shook his head.  
"I know. I'm just caught up on how easy it was for Hardscrabble to kick them out. You don't get that Mike's been working towards this his whole life."

Thomas wanted to point out it was his own fault but decided against it. It wouldn't help to cause an argument.

"If we fail, it'll be just as empty." Randall suddenly said, eyes focused on the simulator.

He was right. The Dean had probably given Mike and Sullivan more of a climatical ending to their studies than any of them would get. If they failed they would get a sheet of paper. That was it. No second chances.  
No rewrites.  
No pity.

"Hey, where did that come from? You were the confident one a couple of minutes ago."

Randall gave a small smile.  
"Yeah, but I'm not only worried about me" he turned to the simulator, "I'm scared for you too."

The furry monster's ears drooped upon hearing this. "Randy, c'mon. I'll be fine. You tutored me so there's no way I can fail."

That wasn't enough. If he let what happened earlier get to him, no amount of tutoring could save him.

"I hope so." Randall replied silently.

Time went on and before they knew it, Thomas was called. He nervously walked up, getting a reassuring comment from Randall. Soon he was up on the stage, looking down at Knight. Now that Hardscrabble was gone, his nerves could ease.

"I'm a five year old boy from Kentucky, afraid of dogs and crocodiles. What scare do you use?" Professor Knight drawled.

Dogs and crocodiles? Two choices for each since Thomas didn't have the appropriate anatomy. Dogs would either be a snarl or a howl. Crocodile could mean a hiss or a snap. Snap seemed like a better option, since it wouldn't contrast with the snarl or howl. The fact that Thomas wasn't a very good hisser also deterred him. But what about the dog? Thomas' brow furrowed as he thought. After a moment he decided to go with his gut. It was usually right, right?

"An extended snarling snap." Thomas answered.

Knight made a note.  
"Demonstrate."

Thomas moved to the door, taking a deep breath as he pulled it open, careful to shut it quietly behind him. He had to break this up into parts for himself. Handle a bit at a time.

First he'd need to reach the bed. Simple. There were no obstacles. Next he had to get a good growl going and hold it until the kid was lucid.  
After that it was a matter of going louder until he'd break off with a snap of his jaw. The growl shouldn't be too hard, it was just getting the snap at the right moment.

With a small nod to himself, Thomas dropped down on all fours and crawled across the floor, reaching the bedpost in a matter of a second. He let out a silent breath before taking in a deep one. Then he eased himself into a growl, slow and low. The sound was enough to stir the fake child it seemed. Thomas decided to start increasing the volume, growing louder each second. His ears flattened against his head and his fur bristled and puffed up as he pulled himself up and over the end of the bed. A second before the child started screaming, he lunged forward, snapping his jaws out in front of it.

A shrill shriek sounded- nothing compared to a real human scream, he knew now. Thomas turned and left the room hastily. He had no real reason to, since it was just practice, but he felt he had to, like he could leave the nervousness behind. By this point he was panting, eyes wide.

"Thank you." Professor Knight called out.

He was done.

"Thank God." Thomas sighed. He looked up to see the scare meter, before he could think better of it. He blinked in shock. An average so far for the other students had been around a sixty, maybe seventy percent. Thomas had his a little over eighty.

He smiled dumbly all the way over to Randall, who smiled even more so.

"Thomas, that was amazing!" He beamed.

"I'm just as surprised as you are, buddy." Thomas chortled.

"Liar."

"Hah, yeah. I  _was_  pretty awesome."

"Indeed." Randall and Thomas turn to the new voice. Both are surprised to find it belonged to none other than Johnny Worthington. Thomas felt his blood chill a bit. He'd forgotten they were here after the canister incident. The rest of the group was nowhere to be seen though.  
Randall seemed to literally pale when he set eyes on the ROR president.

"That was impressive. Johnny Worthington." The monster reached out a hand, which Thomas took after a moment.

"Thomas Ghola."

"Good to finally meet you in person. I've heard a lot about you." The demon-like monster's eyes flicked to Randall for a moment.

"All good I hope."

"Mostly. Anyway," Johnny shrugged, "we were wondering if you were interested in joining Roar Omega Roar."

The question was so laid back and offhanded it took a second for Thomas to really grasp what he was asking.

"What?"

"We'd be glad to have you." The burgundy monster repeated, a confident smile on his face.

Thomas could barely fathom it. He was being asked to join the best fraternity on campus. They must have come here scouting the talent. That meant he was their talent. He impressed the president.  
Just like that, he'd been asked to join.  
Just like that.

"Why?" Thomas suddenly grew suspicious.

"Well," Johnny shrugged, "you were good. We have the best scaring students in our fraternity and you seem like the best freshmen here."

The best? Was he seriously that good. Knight didn't seem so impressed. The look of doubt must have been clear on Thomas' face because Johnny chuckled.

"I'm surprised you're so shocked. Believe me when I say I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think you had what it took."

He meant it.  
Thomas' ears perked a bit.  
This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. He was finally asked to join a frat. And not just anyone either. Roar Omega Roar.  
He didn't expect this at all. And that thought alone made Thomas pause. Was this really a good idea? It was the vice president who'd harassed Randall. All the other stories he'd heard about the egotistical maniacs that comprised the team swam around in his head. Thomas hadn't believed them then. They were unfounded and a bit far fetched. After the incident outside United café however made them sound a little believable. Thomas knew Johnny was a bit overconfident and somewhat insensitive, but was that a valid reason to persecute the entire team?

No. It wasn't.

Thomas opened his mouth to answer, but it seemed Johnny had already noticed his hesitance. The demon monster held a hand up.

"If you want to think it over, then go ahead- no rush. I want you to make the right decision because when you join there's no backing out."

No backing out? What did that mean?

"I'd best get going," Johnny's massive lower teeth swayed as he spoke, "hope I'll see you around soon, Ghola." He winked before turning to leave.

Thomas watched him go, his lips taunt. Randall let out a breath beside him.  
"Wow."

"Yeah," Thomas said quietly, "wow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you can probably tell by now that Johnny didn't acknowledge Sullivan after catching Archie. Instead, Sullivan went with his best choice and that was Big Red and the JOX which felt like a better fit for him compared to the RORs. I tried to make the RORs out to be a little less pompous than they appeared in the movie, giving Johnny some caution so that he didn't invite Sullivan straight off the bat.
> 
> Should shake things up for how the rest of the story pans out.
> 
> In a good way. I hope.


	5. Chapter 5

The day had carried on. Thomas stayed for Randall's turn and was glad to see the lizard do well. The scare wasn't as spectacular as Thomas' according to Randall, but Thomas tried to make Randall feel accomplished. Specifically regarding the use of his camouflage ability. They spoke about it all the way back to the café. It was an unusual stop.

"You hungry?"

Randall shook his head.  
"Not really. I just don't want to go back to the dorm. Mike might be there."

"Oh."

They wordlessly sat down at one of the booths, Angie came up, took their order and left.

"You're gonna have to talk to him at some point."

"I know," Randall played with the salt shaker, turning it so only one of its bottom corners touched the table at a time, "I just want to wait until the wound isn't so… open. I'm not sure what to even say."

It was going to be open for a long time. Thomas had the gist of what the scaring program had meant to the green monster. He'd been working towards it for years only to be thrown out because nobody had the decency to tell him he wasn't scary enough. Thomas thought it was better if Randall spoke to him sooner rather than later, and let him know that he still had a friend to count on. But he wouldn't force him. He cared about Randall's peace if mind, not Mike's.

"But let's not get ourselves down on it. We should be celebrating." Randall put on a smile, which the red monster reciprocated after a moment.

"That'll be tonight at the party."

"Oh yeah… I forgot about that."

"Don't sound so disappointed. Its gonna be great. We both definitely passed and probably with some pretty impressive grades to boot. Not to mention I've been invited to join  _the_  best fraternity on campus." Thomas shifted back in his seat, his arm stretching over the backrest, pride very evident on his face.

"Right!" Randall's smile was a little less forced now, "it's gonna be fun."

"And this time, you're gonna play beer pong with me." Thomas smirked.

"No ways." Randall adamantly shook his head.  
The revelation that the lizard didn't drink was shocking. Thomas hadn't believed him at first but when they went to parties, he never saw Randall touch anything that was tainted with alcohol. Thomas wasn't sure if it was upbringing, low tolerance or simple dislike of the taste that put him off. He'd tried multiple times to try and get him to loosen up at social events, even going as far as trying to spike a soda. But it seemed he was a bloodhound for the stuff and immediately called Thomas out, leaving the party promptly after.

Thomas felt bad about forcing him but he knew alcohol was the best social lubrication, exactly what Randall needed at parties. The lizard seemed to draw up into himself around large crowds. Thomas hypothesized it was the cupcake incident at the first party to blame. And although he had no problem hanging out with him, it often got boring. What was the point of going if they just stood around drinking punch?

Except now, Randall had his eye on someone. A sly smile crept across Thomas' mouth.

"You sure you don't want some alcohol in your system for when you talk to that girl?"

Randall stiffened and Thomas laughed. He loved seeing him squirm.

"No!" The lizard said defiantly, "I'm not going to make a fool of myself."

"You sure you won't without it?"

"Shut up!"

Thomas cackled maliciously.  
Randall waited for him to finish.

"So what are you going to do about the RORs?"

"That was a quick subject change."

"I'm serious," He huffed, "you sounded unsure when Johnny asked you."

He was unsure.

"You can't accept an offer like that immediately- makes you look desperate," Thomas waved his hand around, "I needed to think it over anyways."

"Think what over? You've been building yourself up to join a fraternity since the beginning of the year."

"…Yeah, but theses guys are different."

Randall crossed his arms.  
"Was it because of Chet?"

Thomas frowned.  
"Course not. I hadn't even thought of that."

'-much'

"So what is there to think over?"

"Nothing," Thomas rolled his eyes, "if you want me to join so badly then fine. I will."

Randall shook his head a bit.  
"I just don't want you to make a decision you'll regret."

"How can I regret joining them?" Thomas challenged.

"Have you actually hung out with one of them outside a party? Maybe they're not your crowd."

"Not like I have to become a part of their posse and follow Johnny around all day," the red monster scratched at his ear, "I'll still remember you if that's what you're afraid of." Thomas said the last part with raised eyebrows.

Randall gave him a dirty look.  
"If you turn into a complete dick then maybe I don't want you to."

Thomas recoiled in surprise at the venom those words held. Randall seemed to have realized what he said, causing him to soften his stern glare.

" _That's_  what you're worried about?"

The purple lizard gave a small tilt of the head, affirming the assumption.

"Aww, Randy!" Thomas reached across the table and nudged the lizard- who had his arms crossed, pouting, "you  _do_  care about me." He looked away, trying to conceal a small grin forming. Thomas nudged him a few times, making sounds of awe at Randall's selflessness. Eventually Randall broke form and shoved the clawed hand away, a stupid smile on his face.

"Well if I'm not the voice of reason, God knows what you'll end up doing."

Thomas retracted, snickering.  
"Can't fault you."

Their sodas arrived and they drank them in silence. Both enjoying the quiet din emanating from the café around them. Thomas decided to bury the hatchet.

"I'm gonna go and talk to Johnny at the party. I'm joining."

Randall hummed.  
"Just don't get too big a head when you're wearing that ROR jacket."

Thomas merely laughed it off. He wouldn't end up like Sullivan; a self entitled ass that picked on smaller monsters. Because after he got that letterman jacket he went from mildly annoying to complete prick in a matter of a week. Randall would keep Thomas in check if push came to shove. Otherwise, he'd just take everything slow and make an effort to get to know his soon to be brothers.

Thomas was going to be a ROR.

* * *

The place was packed. Monsters of all kinds ran amuck, hanging out in the street, in the houses and even on the roofs. A beautiful chaos.

Thomas and Randall had arrived an hour into the party, stating that was the best time to join. Randall didn't really get it but followed his lead, he wasn't the one who knew how this all worked after all. A plethora of monsters greeted Thomas as he walked by, to which he easily reciprocated. Randall felt a little left out as he followed a few steps behind the maroon monster's tail. A couple of monsters had greeted him, but not remotely as friendly or as familiar as they had done with Thomas. And the furry monster wondered why Randall didn't like coming to parties.

"Come on, let's go get some drinks." Thomas had to raise his voice a bit over the music that blared from the JOX house.

"Thomas-" Randall begun, only to be cut off.

"Non-alcoholic, I know."

"Thanks."

They strolled through the crowded front lawn of the EEK house, entering through the front door, having to side step two monsters viciously making out just outside the threshold.

"Now it's a party!" Thomas hollered happily.  
Randall provided a small laugh in return.  
As they walled through the house, Randall took a moment to inspect its interior. He'd never been here before, and was surprised to find it wasn't all that different from the Jaws Theta Chi house or even Eta Hiss Hiss. The design was a little different but that was it. Although, Randall couldn't make out much of the interior with the number of monsters mulling about, some actually on the walls and ceiling.

"You gonna stand and stare at nothing all night?" Thomas nudged the lizard, who'd realized he was holding out a cup of punch. He took it.

"Sorry."

"You'd better be, I want to see you socialize," Thomas wiggled his ears, "especially with that girl. Where is she?"

Randall nearly choked on his punch. He recovered quick and stuttered out.  
"Sh- she's not here."

"Then go look for her."

"I do-"

"The party's only gonna get crazier from here on out, Randy. You'd better find her before some other guy gets his mitts on her."

Randall signed. There was no winning with him. He shooed the monster away.  
"Go socialize, I'll find her."

Thomas let one of his unsettling toothy smiles loose, making Randall smile in return. He'd learned how uncomfortable that made Thomas a week after them hanging out. His smile. It wasn't just something he did to be funny like Randall had initially thought, but was his most natural way of smiling. Every time he smiled he had to make a mental effort to remember to keep most of his teeth concealed. It wasn't like monsters didn't appreciate fearsome looking mouths, it was just that his smile was… kinda creepy. Randall hadn't admitted that though, he feared what it would do to his self esteem.

But every time he saw it he knew it meant that Thomas was smiling for real. It made him warm inside.

"If you don't find her in the next half hour, you know where to find your wingman." The maroon monster chuckled as he walked over to a pool table in the living area, currently surrounded by by a group of girls and guys. It appeared to be a battle of the sexes.

Randall smirked before walking away. Now he had to entertain himself. He decided to leave the loud environment for the street, which was somewhat quieter. He snaked his way passed groups of monsters searching for someone approachable to talk to. This wasn't the first time he'd been left to go solo at a party. Last time he actually managed to find someone who was just as lost as he was. He hadn't caught the monster's name, a leathery skinned orange creature with a head full of stubby horns. They'd spoken the entire night about their respective friends ditching them. Randall enjoyed the company but knew it wasn't going to ever be enjoyed outside that environment. After Thomas had reappeared, Randall left.

He hoped he could find him again somewhere. He needed to pass the time until later, when Thomas had a bit of alcohol in him already. He was more agreeable tipsy.

Then out of the various colours of monsters, Randall spotted an imposing red figure dressed in a bright yellow jacket. Only one monster could fit that description.  
Roy O'Growlahan. Some called him 'Big Red'. If he continued at the pace he was now, he'd cross paths with the giant. Randall thought about altering his course and avoiding the JOX president, but a nagging feeling niggled at the tips of his fronds.  
Sullivan.

With a sigh, the lizard walked up to the red monster, who had coincidentally just concluded a conversation with someone. Before Randall could chicken out, he stood before the large creature and cleared his voice. Two stalk eyes shifted down to him.

"Hey." Randall greeted evenly.

"What's up, short-stuff?" Roy replied in that gravely voice he had. Randall winced a bit at the nickname.

"I was just wondering something… about James Sullivan."

"Sulley?" The big monster questioned, crossing his arms, "what about him?"

"I was there in the hall earlier today. I saw what happened. Is… is he alright?"

Randall had no idea why the wellbeing of this monster had apparently taken priority over his own friend's. He shouldn't have cared whether Sullivan was handling the rejection or not. Roy gave Randall an undeterminable look. It was difficult to tell with monsters who had stalk eyes sometimes, their eye movements always looked the same.

"He's as good as he can be, considerin' what happened. Why don't you wait to ask him yourself?"

"We're not- I haven't seen him around."

"You won't. He's gone out for a while."

"Oh."

"It blows," Roy growled suddenly, "he didn't do nothin' to deserve that."

Randall thought better of correcting the massive monster.

"If you really wanna know how he is; he's broken up bad. Hardscrabble ruined his dream 'cause of a lousy accident. 'Cause of that green turd." The last part was filled with malice. The conversation seemed to shift in a second, turning in a direction Randall wasn't sure he wanted to go.

"Yeah… it's horrible," he replied softly, "can you… send him our good wishes?"

"Whose?"

"Concerned friends." And with that, Randall turned and hurried away, sensing eyes watching as he went.

* * *

"Damn, Ghola, you said you were good!" One of the monsters on the male side of the table yelled at Thomas.

"I am, she's just  _freakishly_  good!" Thomas accused his opponent, a senior girl who winked in response.  
She'd been thrashing him so far in their game of pool. Guys versus girls and Thomas was letting down the guys. He'd only sunken two balls, whilst she had five and was going strong.

Then Thomas made it worse by accidentally sinking the eight ball. The entire left side of the room groaned, contrasting against the mocking laughter from the right. The red monster quickly made his escape, apologizing to a few disgruntled monsters as he passed. He made it out onto the back porch of the house, laughing a bit as he went. The night so far had been a lot of fun. He'd spoken to a couple of his fellow freshmen as well as a few older students- including Naomi who had given him her number- and watched several games of pool before joining in himself and ultimately losing. He blamed his lack of hand-eye coordination on his tipsiness. He'd get over it. The night was still young.

Thomas wondered where Randall was. He'd meant it when he'd offered to be a wingman, and since it had been more than an hour already he assumed the lizard had found the girl. Thomas was looking forward to meeting her. Mostly on account that he'd have some hard ammunition to tease Randall with. It felt strange; Randall with a girlfriend. He wondered if she'd be bigger than him. Thomas chuckled at the thought of Randall walking in his girlfriend's shadow.

"Hey, killer." A distantly familiar voice sounded behind Thomas. The red monster turned to see Johnny Worthington, standing beside the porch door, his usual confident smile plastered on. Thomas made to get up off the stairs he had sat down on only to stop as Johnny moved over and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing out here all alone?"

Thomas returned to a relaxed position, arms splayed out behind him.  
"Just came out now actually. Lost one for the guys inside- thought it best for some fresh air."

Johnny chuckled softly.  
"Every time there's a party in the EEK house the girls feel the need to put us in our place."

"This happens often?"

"We lose often."

"Hah."

They both listened to another round of groans from inside, no doubt from the males. Other noises broke the din after they died down. An occasional laugh or holler, change in pitch as a song changed somewhere, crickets in the night chirping.

"You been to the ROR house yet?" Johnny looked over to Thomas.

"Nah. Not yet."

"You want to?"

Thomas bit his lip for a moment. After having that soda with Randall at the café he'd said he would join Roar Omega Roar but since then he'd had a thousand second thoughts. He wasn't sure why he was so hesitant. Like he'd told Randall, how could he regret joining them?.  
He found himself answering before he'd finished contemplating.

"Sure."

His eyes widened on surprise. Maybe he was little more than tipsy.

"Let's go." Johnny commanded as he stood, waving the red monster to follow. They made their way around the back of the house, avoiding the crowds littering the surrounding area.

It wasn't long before they'd crossed the street and were walking up the stairway to the ROR house. Thomas stared in awe at its magnificence. He'd seen it a many times when coming to parties, but he'd never been inside. They passed through the threshold and entered a  _very_  large hall. Thomas let out a small 'wow' as he surveyed the room, taking in the pristine furniture, shiny wooden staircase on either side of him, broad chimney and high ceiling. His dorm could fit four times over in this room alone.

Johnny noticed his state of awe and spread his arms out at his sides, smiling with pride.

"Nice, right?"

"Very nice." Thomas nodded.

"Wait till you see the kitchen." Johnny titled his head so that his massive horns showed the way. Thomas followed at a sluggish pace, taking in the sights around him as he went. A couple of the monsters hanging around the room greeted him by name as he passed. He returned their greetings absentmindedly.

They walked into a kitchen that was covered in glossy white tiles along the walls and floor, which was broken by a large island covered with fake marble. The entire kitchen was fully decked out in appliances and cabinets. It was massive for a kitchen. Johnny strode up to the fridge, coming out with two beers, one of which was handed to Thomas.

"Hey, Ghola." A somewhat familiar voice come from behind the red monster. Thomas turned to find the insect monster he'd seen several times before, including the time with Chet and Randall. The bug-like monster was wearing his ROR jacket, just like Johnny.

"Oh, hey."

The monster hopped off one of the built-in cabinets along the far side of the kitchen and walked up to the duo. A larger monster Thomas had never seen before followed. They were probably talking before he arrived.

"Javier." The newly named ROR member reached out one of his four hands to Thomas.

"Nice to meet you." Thomas took his hand and shook it firmly. He hadn't seen much of Javier since the United incident and was unable to identify what kind of personality he had. He supposed he'd learn soon enough. Thomas just hoped Javier didn't remember what happened.

"I was just giving him a tour of the house." Johnny stepped in, taking a swig of his beer.

"You're in?" Javier's four eyes shifted to Thomas, who froze up a bit. He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. Was he?

The same four eyes shifted back to Johnny, who provided a subtle shrug. Thomas felt a bit like an ass. Johnny had gone through the effort of inviting in and taking him around the house, being nice to him and Thomas might just be leading him on. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Well," Javier provided Thomas with something that might have been a friendly smile, "enjoy the tour."

Then he and the other monster walked away. Now he really felt like an ass.  
They were alone I'm the kitchen now, encouraging Thomas to seize the opportunity. He turned on Johnny.

"Look, Johnny, I'm sorry."

"No need to be," the demon reassured, pulling himself up onto the island, his somewhat stubby legs dangling off the edge of the fake marble, "it must seem like I'm trying to bribe you into joining. The tour, the beer," he gestured to the drink by raising it, "I just wanted to give you a look into what you might be joining. The guys weren't around for introductions so I did the next best thing."

All through his explanation, Johnny didn't lose that self assured smile of his. Instead it seems to morph to fit any given emotion he displayed at the time. Thomas dragged a hand over his face, sighing.

"Nah, I didn't think you were bribing me or anything- I'm just a little… overwhelmed."

"Oh?"

"I feel like there's a catch somewhere. Like I'm signing something without reading the fine print," Thomas took a long sip of beer, "and I'm not sure why."

"Maybe because of what happened with your friend and Chet." Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"I was hoping that wouldn't come up." The furry monster groaned.

Johnny set down his beer.  
"All the better to get it out the way now. I don't want bad blood between fraternity brothers," he paused, "potential fraternity brothers. I'm glad you were there to step in, Chet shouldn't have gone off like that."

Thomas was a little surprised by the calm response from the ROR president. He listened as Johnny continued.

"It was just a meaningless accident that shouldn't affect your decision to join now. What's in the past should stay in the past. And if I'm upfront with you, we need another member for the Scare Games coming up, hence my presence at the exam.

"We only take the best. And you were the best there," Johnny gave Thomas a serious look, "the best monsters for the best fraternity."

Thomas stared back into the demons eyes silently, eventually blinking and turning his attention back to his beer. He took a long swig of it before banging it down on the cabinet with a loud 'clunk'.

"So when do I get my jacket?"

* * *

It took a while before Randall finally found Thomas- who was well beyond tipsy and far into a state of intoxication- outside the ROR house. The lizard decided to take him back to his dorm, considering the party was past its peak and a good deal of the party-goers had already left.

Luckily, Thomas was sober enough to walk on his own. They took off, walking slowly up the street, leaving the dwindling music and chorus of voices behind until all that was heard was the shrill chirping of the crickets. Well, the crickets and the constant yammering of Thomas. He'd accepted the position into ROR and was very proud of it.

"Johnny says he's gonna get me a jacket sometime next week," The red monster said happily, "I might even move in before then."

"I'm happy for you, Thomas." Randall's said with a smile that wasn't quite genuine. He was proud of Thomas and most definitely happy for him, but he'd need more convincing before he fully accepted the idea. He supposed it was just his experience with Chet talking. He knew he had to get over that. It was months ago and according to Thomas, Johnny didn't like what had happened either.

"Thanks, Randy. Really." Thomas smiled down at the lizard.

"For what?"

"Coming. I know you didn't want to with Mike getting kicked out and everything. And I guess we didn't hang out that much either, but I'm glad you came."

"Yeah… I think I am too."

"Oh!" Thomas suddenly stopped, his eyes wide, "did you ask her out?"

"What?" Randall asked with a frown before realizing. The girl. "Oh…" He ran a hand through his fronds, "not really."

Thomas' face fell in disappointment.  
"Randy, c'mon… why not?"

The lizard's frown grew more strained and uncomfortable. He started fidgeting.

"It's- I'm not sure. It isn't that simple."

"How so?" Thomas leaned in, his breath tickling Randall's face. The lizard took a step back, attempting to escape the stench of alcohol.

"You don't have the problems I do." He replied simply.

Thomas laughed obnoxiously.  
"Yeah… damn straight I don't."

"What?"

"There's gotta be something I'm missing, right? You see a problem when I don't. You can avoid it but I just go with it till it gets too bad to ignore." Thomas laughed again, somewhat quieter this time.

Randall was utterly lost now.  
"What are yo-"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Thomas waved him off before continuing the walk back to the dorms, "if she was too much of a bitch then I fully get it. I won't ask about it again."

Randall shook his head, his face contorted with confusion.

"Thomas! What are you talking about?"

"We all get bad breaks in relationships. I've had my fair share- just wish I had your eye for 'em."

Randall followed quickly, placing a hand on the red monsters arm.  
"You've had bad relationships?"

The lizard jumped when Thomas hooted in laughter.  
"Tons. Why do you think I know so much about ladies? I got experience!"

Randall's gut twisted in disgust as Thomas smiled that creepy smile of his, because this time he saw something else through it. A vulnerability the alcohol had let slip loose.  
Cold, hard insecurity.  
It didn't look good on the maroon monster.

"God… Thomas."

"Wut?" Was all the monster muttered out before falling to his hands and knees and liberating the contents of his stomach.

Randall stood beside him, patting him gently as Thomas heaved into the gutter, a shocked expression adorning his face. Not because he saw everything Thomas had eaten that night laid before him, but because he truly knew the monster he was dealing with.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late. But here it is.

"I think that's it." Thomas said with a satisfied smirk, hands on his hips. Randall scoffed.

"I'd hope so." Then he laughed. They stood in the Roar Omega Roar house. Thomas had the go ahead to move in from Johnny and had quickly brought all his possessions. He'd invited Randall to help, but Thomas ended up carrying all his luggage and the lizard merely accompanied him.

He'd set up in Chip's room, the purplish monster with vampire-like teeth. Thomas purposely chose to bunk with him, mostly because he was the quietest ROR. Not that Thomas didn't mind the others, he got on quite well with everyone actually. Not long after the big party, Johnny had invited him over to meet the entire group. The immediate acceptance Thomas had felt was overwhelming. They looked forward to having him around.

It explained why he wanted to move in as quickly as possible. Not only to escape his annoying roommate, Edward, but also to live among the comradery that permeated the house.

Randall looked around the room, appreciating its vastness.  
"I might have to join and move in too. This is so much better than my dorm."

Thomas snickered, patting Randall on his shoulder as he passed.  
"I'll recommend you."

They walked down to the kitchen together. The house was barren save for Reggie, who'd opened the door for them. Thomas grabbed a soda for the both of them, handing Randall his before hopping onto the kitchen island.  
He'd given Randall a tour of the house, much in the same way Johnny did for him, showing off a few extra rooms like the game room and bathroom- for whatever reason.

"With your grades and a couple more times in the scare simulator, Johnny will be giving  _you_  a jacket." Thomas said after taking a sip of his soda.

Randall leaned against the fake marble counter and shook his head.  
"I'm not so sure."

"I was serious when I said I'd recommend you."

The purple reptile bit his lip.  
"You shouldn't."

"Give me a good reason not to."

"I'm not interested."

"Liar."

Randall frowned. Thomas smirked behind his soda.

"I'm legitimately not."

"Why the sudden change? You were pretty interested in joining ROR when I met you."

"That was then-"

" _That_  wasn't even five months ago."

"This is now. Besides- I wouldn't make a great frat-boy." He tentatively took a gulp of his soda, looking away with half lidded eyes. Thomas' questioning stare forced Randall to continue.  
"I'm not like you guys."

"'You guys'? There's a stereotype now?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"There's always been one. Big guys who thrive off of rumbancous brotherly bonds," he dramatically waved his free hand out, "massive parties. Lots of drinking. Yadda-yadda."

"Well… we're not  _all_  big." Thomas shrugged sheepishly.

"It's a stereotype for a reason. You can't even deny half of it."

"Doesn't mean it's not something you can learn to enjoy."

"I'd be a wet blanket. I enjoy not being a part of a 'brotherhood' anyways."

Thomas hummed in response. Regardless, he'd recommended Randall. He knew that he was still a little uncertain about the incident with Chet outside United. But Johnny admitted he was wrong in doing so, Randall just had to see these guys weren't the horrible people a lot of students thought they were. He would convince him eventually.

"So, doing anything tonight?"

Randall thought for a moment.  
"Don't think so, not unless Mike wants to hang out or anything."

Randall had finally spoken with Wazowski, who'd eventually gotten over the shock of his expulsion from the scare program- mostly, at least. They hung out often, probably more than they did previously. It seemed that since Mike didn't have his dream to work towards, he didn't have as much of a compulsion to constantly study. He'd taken up scream-can design, which Thomas had heard was above and beyond boring.

"Having dinner with the guys, you wanna come with?" Thomas threw a thumb behind him, gesturing to the inhabitants of the house that were currently out.

The lizard immediately grimaced. Thomas knew his answer and interjected his refusal.  
"It's not gonna be anything major. We're just having some pizza down at United, real relaxed."

"I-"

"Don't say no."

"What if I  _am_  busy tonight?"

"Then cancel whatever comes up because this is more important." Thomas wasn't going to let Randall off that easily. He knew that some of them were bringing some of their own friends, so it wouldn't be weird at all if Randall accompanied him.

"You're incorrigible," Randall complained, "yeah, alright. What time?"

"Six. Meet us outside the café."

Randall confirmed and continued to drink his soda. Thomas was glad the reptile agreed, although he enjoyed talking to the ROR members it would be significantly better having a familiar face around. It was startling how fast Thomas had genuinely become friendly with Randall. In high school, he never hung around or even spoke that much to monsters like him. He didn't like to label, but Randall definitely fell into the 'nerd' category. But everyday he was more and more surprised by how unlike a dork Randall was.

Yes, he was smart. Yes, he knew references to a bunch of complicated movie series. And yes, he most definitely used those references at every chance he got.  
But he also knew quite a bit about sports and had a good knack for ping pong. He was a pro when it came to baking and essentially being self-sufficient.

One couldn't simply stick one label on Randall.

Soon the duo finished up at the ROR house and went back to Randall's dorm to study. Although the two had gotten impressive A's for their exam, they couldn't stop preparing now- mostly due to Randall's insistence. The lizard took precaution, ensuring Mike was out to classes while they studied. It lasted approximately two hours before Thomas started fooling around and left. He went back to the fraternity house and met with the other members in the living room, where they chatted for a bit. Thomas finally went upstairs and began unpacking his things.

Afterwards he simply lazed around on his bed, contemplating taking a nap before being invited to play pool downstairs. A friendly game turned into a heated match between Thomas and Reggie, who was the best player in the house. Of course Thomas lost but demanded a rematch. Then another. Finally it was time to leave for the café. Thomas threw on his ROR letterman jacket and left with the rest of the group. It wasn't long before they exited Greek row and arrived outside United.

Two girls waited outside the café, talking quietly between one another. Thomas swore he recognized the one. It turned out to be a PNK girl who introduced herself as Britney, Javier's girlfriend. The other girl was her friend, Maria, a Slugma Slugma Kappa member. It was a strange coupling, Javier and Britney. She was so peppy and energetic whilst he was more aloof. They seemed to get along quite well though.

Then a monster around the size of Johnny came. He had greenish fur with blue polka dots spread out evenly across him. He wore an MU jersey and an easy grin. A friend of the team it seemed. His name was Martin.

"So who are we waiting on?" Johnny finally asked.

"Randall," Thomas answered, scouring the darkness for any sign of the lizard, "you guys can go in so long, I'll wait."

Everyone made a move to fulfill Thomas' request but were cut short by Johnny.  
"It's alright. We'll wait."

Reggie grumbled out something about it being cold. They waited in silence. The maroon monster began to feel embarrassment creeping up on him. It was definitely six, right? They couldn't be early and Randall didn't make a habit out of being late. So what was keeping him? Maybe he ditched. Thomas prayed he hadn't.

"So you've been friends with Boggs for a while, huh?" Johnny suddenly stated. It was more of an observation than a question.

"Yeah. I guess so…" Thomas shrugged, "first legit guy I met since I arrived."

"I have a class with him. He seems nice." Maria said simply.

"I met him at the beginning of the year, JOX party. He was giving out cakes or somethin'." Martin contributed.

"Oh yeah!" Britney exclaimed, "Naomi told me about that. You went off after him when he fell." She pointed at Thomas.

They remembered that?

"Oh yeah?" Chip smirked in Thomas' direction.

"He got pushed. Sullivan and Mike were chasing the scare-pig." Thomas corrected. He didn't want stupid stories coming out that excluded Sullivan from the equation. He wanted people to know how much of a dumbass the blue monster was.

"We saw that. Johnny nearly went over to talk to him when he caught it." Chet jumped in.

"But I didn't," Johnny continued, his smile hardened a bit, "not sure why but I had a feeling Sullivan was a little more trouble than he was worth."

"Good thing JOX got 'im then," Martin concluded, "even I gotta admit he seems like a bit of a dick."

"He got himself and that green guy thrown in the deep end with Hardscrabble." Javier spoke up.

Thomas felt like saying that it wasn't just Sullivan's fault, that Mike was to blame for his own downfall as well but he decided against it. Everyone here was combining to vent about Sullivan, if he were to defend the monster then he had the possibility of making this awkward. Not that he wasn't already somewhat awkward. He wasn't sure how long they'd been waiting for Randall to appear but Thomas was beginning to lose his patience. Reggie was right, the night was cold and had begun to nip at his ears. He wished he had a beanie.

"Sorry I'm late," A voice interrupted the monsters around Thomas. He turned to find Randall before him, huddled in a jacket and scarf, looking somewhat flustered, "didn't realize the time."

"Hey, Randy." Relief evident in Thomas' voice. He then turned to the group behind him. "This is Randall, guys."

A chorus of 'hellos' and 'what's ups' sounded as everyone greeted the reptile together. He reciprocated in the form of a small wave.

"Now that we're all present," Johnny made his way over to the door, opening it and waving his arm, "let's get inside."

The group filtered in and went to sit at the biggest booth. Along the way Thomas had thrown Randall a questioning glare.  
'Where were you?' He found Randall appeared to be… avoiding eye contact? Did he feel guilty about his tardiness?  
They all sat down, only just fitting in. Randall was the last to squeeze in beside Thomas, who had tried to suck in some of his breath to make more room. Angie came around and took everyone's drinks.

"And three of your best pizzas," Johnny shot Angie an award winning smile, "I'm thinking meaty supreme, hawaiian and a barbecue chicken. Any objections?" He asked the table.

"That sounds great!" Chet's lispy voice shouted out.

"Oh! And an empty bottle too!" Britney giggled.

Angie disappeared with the order.

"Empty bottle?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"A tradition." Martin replied.

"Kind of like spin the bottle and you get to do a truth or dare on that person." Maria explained.

"It sucks." Reggie drawled.

Chip chuckled beside him.  
"We made him swallow a spoon whole once. He ended up in the hospital."

Randall stiffened beside Thomas.

"Wow…" Maria frowned, "I'm glad I wasn't here for that one."

"I'm sorry I missed it."Martin laughed.

Thomas chuckled a bit as well. The thought of Reggie turning green… greener in hospital, waiting to get it taken out, was entertaining.

"How'd they get it out?" Thomas asked.

Chet chortled.  
"They waited."

Everyone at the right side of the table was quiet for moment before erupting in 'ooohs' and a few laughs.  
Reggie looked down in embarrassment.

"I'm down for a game." Thomas tapped the table with a claw, only barely registering the fearful look on Randall's face beside him.

And they didn't have to wait long. Soon Angie arrived with all their sodas and a single empty bottle. Britney immediately got to work at clearing he centre of the table and setting the bottle gently on its side.

"Who's going first?" She excitedly looked about.

"I'll go." Martin reached forward, taking the bottle between his fingers and spinning it. A constant scrapping sounded as the bottle spun, passing each monster seated until it finally slowed and stopped on Britney, who huffed.

Javier laughed.  
"Figures."

"'lright, truth or dare?" Martin smirked.

Britney crossed her arms gingerly, pulling her chin up and announcing, "Truth."

"Have you and Javier gotten to third base yet?"

"Oh my God! Martin!" She gasped, "you can't just-"

"Oh yeah, we have." Javier spoke up, a proud grin on his face.

"Nice!" Martin reached across and high-fived the insect while the table erupted into laughter and whistles. Britney punched Javier's arm.

"You guys are gross." Maria made a disgusted face.

"Okay- okay. I'm next." Johnny, still chuckling, spun the bottle and found it landed on Chip. Chip chose dare, and was quickly commanded to attempt to get the number of a sketchy looking girl across the café. He failed miserably.

The game continued, nearly everyone getting a turn. Thomas made Javier and Britney show the group how they made out, resulting in rowdy hoots and whistles from everyone as the duo embraced one another and kissed.

"Steamy!" Chet cackled.

"Alright. I think it's Randall's turn." Johnny nodded to the purple monster, who bit his lip.

"I'll pass, thanks."

"What?" Britney cried out.

"You can't just 'pass'." Reggie said.

"Yeah, c'mon." Thomas agreed, nudging he monster slightly.

He pulled a face before relenting.  
"I'm warning you guys. I'm not much good at this."  
He reached over to the bottle silently and spun it. It circled the table twice, thrice and a fourth time before coming to a stop, pointing at the maroon monster.  
The table all smiled at Thomas, who hadn't been caught by anyone else yet.  
Randall seemed more surprised than anything else.

"Finally," Martin laughed, "so what's it gonna be?"

Thomas thought for a moment before answering.  
"Truth. I'm not quite sure I'd trust you with dare." He smirked at the purple reptile, who let out a hum.

He looked down at the table, moving his jaw around as he thought. Thomas watched closely, finding himself becoming more and more nervous as to what Randall would ask him. It couldn't be anything too bad. Right?  
Finally enough time had passed for Thomas to open his mouth and tease the monster for his lack of question. But Randall spoke first, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Thomas' nervous smirk turned to a frown as he tilted his head in confusion. Did he hear that right?  
The table erupted into laughter upon Thomas' expression.

"From his face," Javier snickered, "I think we know the answer."

"Don't worry, this is a safe space, you can tell us." Chet wheezed out, causing another bout of laughter to roll over the group. Even Randall was laughing a bit. Thomas eventually couldn't help himself and joined in.

"Nah," he shook his head, "I've never kissed a guy."

"Have you ever thought about it? That was a long pause." Randall spoke up again, sounding unusually confident. Thomas' ears wilted a bit, another frown adorning his face.

"Hey, you can't ask two questions like that." He objected.

"Answer the question, Ghola," Johnny smiled from the other side of the table, leaning on his arms, "'cause I'm curious too."

A few affirmations were chipped in from the other monsters, a particularly enthusiastic 'tell us!' from Chet.  
Thomas frowned even deeper, his smile slowly dwindling. He felt put on the spot- like he couldn't escape. He supposed he couldn't, not with everyone looking at him like that. He sighed.  
Did he ever think about kissing a guy before? His first reaction was a negative. But when he thought about it longer, he vaguely remembered one or two occasions when he questioned his sexuality.

First time in high school, when he met a monster he'd thought was a girl. He was thrown off for a while, contemplating for the rest of the week how he had thought the monster's legs appeared appealing even though he wasn't female. It was horribly cliché.

Other, short lived thoughts about what sex would be like with the same gender had also crossed his mind. Nothing close to fantasizing, more like an almost scientific curiousness as to how it would work. If he took all this into account- then yes, he had thought about a guy kissing another guy. But the thing was, he hadn't thought of it as personal thing. Never did he place himself in these made-up scenarios. Not until now.

He imagined himself kissing another male. How different it would feel, if at all, from kissing a woman. He felt the hint of a blush coming on, warming his cheeks and ears. Thomas quickly hid his ears by flattening them and chuckling.

The table had grown quiet, anticipating Thomas' response. Randall was completely still, eyes fixated on Thomas just as intently as everyone else's.  
The red monster shrugged.

"I guess."

Everyone's eyebrows shot up and another round of laughs sounded out.

"Wow! Who knew?" Martin chuckled.

"That why you haven't gotten a girl yet, Ghola?" Javier threw a teasing look his way.

Thomas immediately found himself becoming defensive. He restrained himself enough to answer in a level tone.

"Nah, I just haven't found someone with a pretty enough face yet."

That earned yet a few giggles from the monsters around. This was definitely a night filled with laughter. Thomas found himself looking down at Randall, who had a pensive look on his face, before nudging him and saying loudly, "I've actually been focusing on helping Randy to get his own girl."

"That so?" Johnny questioned.

Randall winced when everyone's eyes fell on him.

"Ooh, got your eye on anyone?" Britney leaned onto the table, laying her head in her arms.

"Well…"

"He's smitten!" Martin concluded.

"That's so sweet." Marcia cooed.

"You shouldn't be taking advice from someone who doesn't even have his own girlfriend." Chip gestured to Thomas, who reacted with a playful 'hey!'.

Randall shrugged, a shy smile on his face.  
"He's been helpful."

"I'd bet." Maria said with half lidded eyes. Everyone turned to her with raised eyebrows.  
"What?"

"Got something you wanna say to Thomas, Maria?" Johnny smirked mischievously.

The orange EEK girl shifted uncomfortably.  
"I don't-"

"You think he's hot!" Britney nudged Maria violently, causing her to grab hold of the table to steady herself again.

" _No!_ " She answered quickly. Too quickly.

Thomas out on a faux pout.  
"That's too bad, because I like compliments," he slyly leaned back into his seat, arms crossed, "sometimes, if I get enough, I let things slip- like say, my number?"

Everyone 'oohed' at the obvious flirt, whilst Maria balked, a blush visible through her orange fur.

The laugher didn't last long since the pizzas arrived. They group ate away and spoke about the upcoming Scare Games. A little competitiveness shone through between Johnny and both the girls, all three parties arguing over who was most likely to win this year. The evening soon came to a close, and everyone departed, splitting the cheque.

Javier took Britney and Maria home whilst Chip, Chet, Martin and Johnny all went off to Martin's place. Reggie went back to the ROR house. Thomas decided to walk with Randall back to his dorm.

They walked silently through the park, taking their time as they went. There was no hurry. The red monster had noticed Randall was quiet throughout most of he night and especially now. He hoped the lizard wasn't upset about anything.

"You good?" He asked.

Randall looked to Thomas before nodding.  
"I'm fine."

"You enjoyed it, right?"

"Probably not as much as you did."

"You'll get used to them."

"I'm not so sure."

Thomas frowned.  
"Why not?"

"Like I told you before, not my kind of monsters." Randall's fidgeted with his jacket zipper.

Thomas didn't like this argument in the first place. Randall wasn't the sort of monster to say something like that, it didn't fit him. And it wasn't like he couldn't get to know them better.

"What  _is_  your kind of monster, then?" Thomas huffed.

Randall looked down at his feet and mumbled something out.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, seriously. What?"

"Why do you need me to like them so bad?" Randall held his hands out in front of him helplessly.

Thomas scratched his ear.  
"'cause you're my friend and they're my friends."

Randall was about to say something, but thought better of it and returned to silence.

"I just want you to make more friends too." The furry monster huffed.

"You sound like my mother." Randall muttered.

"That means I'm talking sense." Thomas smirked.

"She's an old fashioned nut." Randall rebutted.

"That's a little harsh."

The lizard ran a hand through his fronds.  
"Sure."

Thomas gave him a sidelong glance.

Randall begun fidgeting again.  
"Sorry," he apologized, "it's just- nevermind."

"Oh." Was all he said.

They walked on in silence.  
Eventually they reached Randall's dorm, where Thomas thanked Randall for joining him and promising to meet him tomorrow to hang out. The other agreed happily, but it seemed his general disposition was soured by the mention of his mother. Thomas made a note not to discuss it arbitrarily.

They parted ways. Randall sitting on his bed, lying to Mike about how much of a good night he'd had and Thomas, walking back to the ROR house wallowing in thoughts of his own family.


	7. Chapter 7

Thomas was awakened unceremoniously by Chip. Groggily, he proceeded to get himself ready for the day. He then met the rest of the team downstairs, who all drank sodas in the kitchen, the exception being Reggie- who was eating toast- and Johnny, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Ghola." Javier greeted from his seat on the island.

"Morning," Thomas went to stand beside him, taking the soda offered by the bug and popping it open with a loud hiss, "what's going on?"

"The Scare Games." Chet answered quickly, sidling up to the two of them. He seemed incredibly energetic.

"He knows that," Javier nudged Thomas, "I think he means what's happening now."

Thomas nodded, looking back to Chet. The crab took a swig of soda before explaining, "It's the pre-Scare Games talk."

"More of a redundant speech." Chip chipped in.

Thomas was about to ask what he meant when Johnny walked in, a can of soda already in hand.

"Alright guys," Johnny put his hand up, commanding silence within the room, "as you know, today's sign-ups for the Scare Games."

Chet whooped loudly.

"And of course we're gonna be up against some tough competition this year… Like every year," Thomas looked around in confusion as everyone chuckled, "but that won't deter us from our goal," Johnny pointed to another part of the house, "which is winning another trophy for Roar Omega Roar."

Thomas had seen the trophy room many times, and time and time again he would still be amazed at the sheer number of brass cups that adorned it. All from former members of ROR whom had won individual trophies for sports, academics and cultural achievements. And the faded silver trophy set upon a pedestal in the middle. It practically oozed importance and history.

"For the past four years that I have been in this house ROR has won every Scare Games. The monsters before us had won many more. The monsters that'll come after us will continue to win. And it's all because of us," he made a sweeping motion across the room, "the ones who wear red and yellow. We who belong to Roar Omega Roar."

Everyone gave a couple of off key hoots. Thomas felt himself chuckling.

"We're the best fraternity on campus not because we get good grades or because we have a lot of friends- although those do help. We're the best because we're  _scary_."

Thomas felt something building up inside him, a buzz that excited him.

"We're the ones with big horns, sharp claws and red eyes!"

The tension was mounting and everyone in the room was either smirking dumbly or nodding feverishly in agreement.

"We're monsters!" Johnny banged a fist against the counter.

Everyone whooped together now, Thomas joining in. They banged their fists against any surface, setting a drumroll for Johnny to continue. Thomas had never felt this excited for something before.

"And we  _are_ going to win each and every challenge, because we're the  _best_."

Chet whooped before downing his soda and crushing the empty can against his head violently. Reggie let loose an angry guttural cry from his seat, banging the island so hard Javier shifted with every pound.  
After a little bit of the hype had died down, Johnny continued.

"So we're gonna go to sign-ups, look our best and intimidate the hell out of our competition."

Thomas' mouth was open in a wide smile. He couldn't wait to see all the other fraternities' worried faces when they pitched up.

"I know you'll all do your best, and do try and have some fun. These are called the Scare  _Games_ after all." Johnny finished off by downing his soda, crushing it in his hand after letting out a satisfied 'ah'.

Everyone did the same, including Thomas. The excitement quickly sparked again when Javier let loose a burp. Everyone had their turn, competing to see whose was the loudest. Chet won.

They laughed as they filtered out the kitchen. Johnny had remained behind, tapping Thomas, asking him to stay. As the others left the house, the demon-like monster before Thomas spoke with his usual charm.

"You enjoy the pep talk?"

"It definitely worked."

Johnny's smile brightened.  
"Good," he paused for a moment before placing a hand on the red monster's shoulder, "you believed it all, I hope? It was the truth. We're the best fraternity because we are the best individuals."

His eyes seemed to lose a little bit of their vibrancy and his hold loosened.  
"And I just want you to know how important that is."

Thomas shifted nervously. This felt like a test.

"I won't let any of you down, I swear."

Johnny chuckled.  
"Don't swear on things like that, you'll make a liar of yourself. I just want you to do what you did in the exam- a damn fine job."

Thomas nodded.

"Let's go."

The maroon monster followed Johnny out the house, feeling slightly wary but somehow… warmer inside. Acceptance. He'd already been accepted into the group. But maybe that was the early days, the trial, maybe Johnny just wanted to be sure.  
He wouldn't let them down. He'd do exactly as Johnny had said.  
His best.

And before Thomas knew it, he was outside on Greek Row, facing a forming crowd of students. A stage was just about set up on the edge of the pavement, the Greek council mulling about, making sure things went smoothly. Monsters of all types filed in from every direction, pooling together in the main street and surrounding lawns. A few were perched up on frat houses, many upon the JOX house.

Thomas didn't know much about how this was going to work. From what he'd gathered, this was somewhat a formal introduction to the Scare Games, kicking it off with sign-ups in a public setting so the hype could really set in. Students wanted to see who was partaking and how tough they appeared this year. Already, Thomas felt several eyes monitoring him. Instead of his usual response, which would involve giving the starer a questioning look and if need be- a threatening gesture, he leisurely strolled down the steps onto the curb to join his teammates, basking in the attention all the while. He was a ROR. He didn't get weird looks anymore, only admiring ones.

"Hardscrabble should be arriving soon, meet back up when she arrives." Johnny announced, dismissing everyone. He turned and walked away, only Chet following. Thomas was unsure where he was off to. It was none of his business. He turned to see the other ROR members disbanding, heading in separate directions. Thomas supposed he should keep himself busy somehow. He wondered if Randall was here yet. He did say he was coming earlier.

The furry monster strolled about lazily, hands in his jacket pockets as he moved through the crowd, eyes peeled for anything purple. As he went, a few familiar faces and more than a few strangers greeted him and gave him a pat or a vigorous handshake. It felt so surreal, being treated with so much adoration. When he'd first experienced it it had vexed him, now however he found it somewhat enjoyable. It was still slightly awkward, but he was adapting fast.

"Hey there, stranger."

Thomas turned to see a large blue figure before him, arms spread in a wide gesture.

"Sullivan." He greeted with some surprise.

"Long time no see, Ghola. How's it been?" Sullivan walked over and clapped Thomas' shoulder with a friendly familiarity that Thomas didn't like one bit.

"Same old."

"I doubt that. Y'know, I seriously didn't believe you became a ROR like everyone said," he pointed to the red letterman jacket, "hardest fraternity to get into."

Thomas picked up the hint of insult in his voice and tried his best not to snap back.

"Weird that out the two prodigal sons they chose me." Thomas copied the other monster's tone of voice and gestured to his jacket. His words were a clear insult, but Sullivan only reacted with a laugh.

"Jaws Theta Chi picked me up pretty early in the semester so it figures."

The maroon monster crossed his arms and got to the point.  
"Can I help you with something?"

"Nah," the blue monster waved him off, "just wanted to wish you luck. The Games are gonna be pretty crazy from what I've heard." He smiled before turning and strutting away. Before exiting earshot, Sullivan looked over his shoulder.  
"So break a leg, Ghola."

Thomas' ears flattened as he huffed.  
"Douchebag." He muttered.

His thoughts were quickly torn away from the other monster when an excitable duo of girls came running up to him, openly fangirling. They kept Thomas busy for a while, practically in awe of the red monster. Thomas found himself bragging shamelessly, talking about his father and how he was molded into the perfect scarer during childhood. Most of it was bent out of shape but if it meant he could keep these girls attention, it didn't matter.

Eventually their conversation was cut short by a massive number of students funneling into the street. The stage was set up and two Greek Council members Thomas recognized as the president and vice president stood upon it, readying a microphone. It was starting. Thomas bid farewell to the girls and rushed off to find his teammates, who were congregated to the right of the stage.

Thomas couldn't help but look around with a pout. Randall hadn't shown up yet. That or the lizard had merely gotten lost in the crowd. He couldn't see very far without his glasses, and tended to misidentify people when viewing them from afar. Thomas wished he would just wear them and forget about what Mike said.

Then it all begun. The band started up and announcements were made. Claire Wheeler kicked it off by welcoming everyone before handing over the mic to the Dean. Everything went quiet as Hardscrabble crawled up to centre stage.

"Good afternoon." she placed her hands behind her back and continued. "As a student I created these games as a friendly competition," she leaned into the mic, smirking a bit as she glanced around the audience, "but be prepared- to take home the trophy you must be the most fearsome monsters on campus."

Just then a diminutive blue monster approached, wielding a massive camera. She quietly requested a picture from the team, to which everyone silently agreed, posing in a variety of forms. Thomas crossed his arms and smirked smugly, ears perked, from his place beside Johnny. The camera flashed brilliantly before letting out a small squeal.

"So good luck, and let the best monsters win." Hardscrabble finished, turning to move off stage. Brock Pearson immediately grabbed the mic and declared loudly, "Alright, everybody! We're closing down sign-ups so we'll see you all-"

Then suddenly a voice from the very back of the crowd hollered out.  
"Wait!"

Everyone turned. Thomas did a double take when he saw Wazowski atop a parked car, hand in the air and an excited look in his face. A second later he made his intentions clear.

"I'm signing up!"

It took a moment for everyone to go from bewildered looks to chuckles. The story of Mike and Sullivan's screw up and subsequent banishment from the scare programme had run its course through campus and nearly everyone knew who destroyed the Dean's prized scream canister. Johnny let out an amused, 'what?'.

Claire stepped in, taking the mic and saying in a bored tone.  
"Uhhh… you have to be in a fraternity to compete."

Thomas noticed Hardscrabble hadn't left, she had come back onto stage and was watching the scene unfold.  
Wazowski didn't miss a beat. In a dramatic display he threw out his arms and declared, "Behold! The next winning fraternity of the Scare Games. The brothers- my brothers- of Oozma Kappa!" He gestured enthusiastically to the group of monsters who stood silently on the side walk.

Utter silence followed long enough for Thomas to mutter to himself.  
"What the hell?"

The shortest of the group, a pale, five eyed monster lifted a hand and greeted everyone awkwardly. A balloon beside the group subsequently popped and the fell atop his head.  
Thomas dropped his head into his hand. This was embarrassing  _him_.

Hardscrabble crawled off the stage, moving between the parting crowd and approaching the green sphere.  
"Mister Wazowski, what are you doing?"

"You just said the winners are the most fearsome monsters on campus. If I win, that means you kicked out the best scarer in the whole school."

The Dean came to a stop before the car, an unamused expression adorning her face.

"That won't happen." She said dismissively.

"How about a little wager?"  
Hardscrabble stopped mid-turn.  
"If I win, you let me back in the scaring programme."

Javier let out a sigh beside Thomas, shaking his head disapprovingly. Thomas couldn't have agreed more.

"And what would that prove?"

Mike took up a sturdier stance, appearing adamant as he said, "That you were wrong."

The crowd broke into harsh whispers and gasps. Thomas was surprised by the brash response. Didn't he know she could kick him out at any point? He was playing with fire.  
What Hardscrabble eventually said though shocked him more.

"Very well, if you win, I will let your  _entire_  team into the scare programme."

She couldn't be serious. Thomas turned to Johnny and voiced his concerns. The monster didn't reply.

"But if you lose… you will leave Monsters University." She said decisively, staring down the green monster, daring him to accept. The consequences took Mike by surprise and he paused for a moment. The ultimatum hung in the air for some time. Right when he was about to answer a scrape sounded behind the car. It was Sullivan.

He stood behind Mike, looking between the two of them, brow furrowed in a deep frown.  
The Dean gave him a questioning look and Wazowski provided an angry glare.

"I want in." He said simply.

Hardscrabble said nothing. Her questioning look remaining.

"If he gets a second chance then so should I," the blue monster gestured to himself, his voice staying surprisingly level the entire time, "I'll play by the same rules. I'll leave MU if I lose."

The Dean tilted her head a bit. Wazowski said nothing.

"Alright," Hardscrabble said slowly, "I'll let the winner and any member of their team not in the scare programme join. The penalty for losing is leaving Monsters University." She gave them both a look and with firm faces the duo answered simultaneously.

"Deal."

Hardscrabble turned and walked off, stating loud so they could hear.  
"Good luck, gentlemen. And Mister Wazowski, I'd recommend you find enough members to compete."

The green sphere's eye widened in alarm.  
"We need six guys, right?"

Brock, from the stage, answered.  
"Sorry chief, we count bodies- not heads. That dude," he points to the yellow monster in the middle, whom had two heads, "counts as one."

Stray chuckles rose in the crowd, and mocking smirks spread all round. Mike desperately looked around from the top of the car, begging for someone to join. Sullivan gave a victorious laugh from behind him, patting him on the back roughly.

"I guess I won't be seeing you around campus." The blue monster hopped off the car and returned to his teammates, who excitedly swarmed him.

Wazowski's desperate search continued, his hands clutching the top of his head.  
Thomas felt slightly bad for him. Only slightly. He'd brought this upon himself. If he wasn't such as arrogant know-it-all in the first place he wouldn't be in the position. Sullivan was at least smart enough to make some friends who could keep him out of any more hot water. For someone who got straight A's, Mike was quite stupid.

The entire ordeal was making Thomas feel queasy and agitated. He didn't want to see this get any worse so he turned away, deciding to face the stage again, hoping the Greek Council would continue with the program. The president fulfilled his wish.

"Yeah, sorry, it doesn't look good. We have to move on, your team doesn't qualify." She looked down at her clipboard, ready to finish up.

Then Mike uttered something that made him whirl around.  
"Randy! Randy, thank goodness!"

"What?" Thomas peered over a few heads to see the purple lizard, standing nearby the cars, his eyes wide. He must have come late.

"I need you on my team!" Wazowski gave him a hopeful look, to which Randall averted his eyes, mouthing 'oh'.

'He won't join your stupid cause'.  
Thomas thought victoriously. Randall knew better than to get mixed up in this sort of nonsense. Mike hadn't been a good friend all year from what he's seen, but now he needed him. It was time to get a taste of his own medicine. Randall looked up, eyes filled with regret and hands fidgeting nervously, opening his mouth to say he was sorry and that he wasn't going to let him embarrass himself further.

But nothing came from his mouth, instead, the lizard nodded tentatively. Mike burst into a joyous cry and pounded his fists into the air. He hopped down from the car quickly and hurried over to Randall.

"Hear that?" He shouted to the Greek president, "we qualify!"

"Goody." She responded monotonously.

"That your boy, Ghola?" Javier nudged Thomas, referring to the nervous looking reptile being led by Mike to the Oozma Kappa's.

Thomas didn't respond, letting his dumbstruck face and wilting ears do the talking. It couldn't really be true, could it? Why would Randall join? It could only lead to more trouble.

With a sudden flare of rage, Thomas stepped forward, bumping a nearby monster out the way so he could get a better look at the team.

"Randall!" He shouted across the crowd, waiting until the monster looked his way before throwing his arms up in question. He let them fall to his sides again, the anger gone and replaced by pure confusion as Randall grimaced and turned away.

Johnny came up beside Thomas, his usual smirk gone. He looked to the red monster, who looked back helplessly. Johnny's smile came back to life and reassured Thomas.  
"C'mon, let's go." He coaxed the furry monster to follow, which he did.

They returned to the ROR house, where they played a game of pool quietly, waiting for the ruckus outside to dissipate. Thomas forfeited a game halfway through, unable to concentrate, before going up to his room and resting on his bed.

He was in turmoil over Randall joining the OKs. Surely it shouldn't be a problem. The Games were free to anyone who qualified, and he just happened to join a team to qualify. A team that happened to be their competition.

Thomas chuckled. What sort of competition were Oozma Kappa  _really_  going to be though? They were comprised of a bunch of the most unscary monsters on campus, a know-it-all beachball and… his best friend. Thomas let out a sigh.  
Why did something supposed to be fun become so dramatic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus the Games begin. This chapter didn't go into too much depth with what was going on since it was a pretty speak-for-itself scene in the movie, and I only changed a few things up.
> 
> But yeah, I'd also like to thank you guys.
> 
> Anyone who's left kudos or even looked in this fic's general direction, thank you. It's heartwarming to see people actually reading something I put time into writing and it makes the process a whole lot more fulfilling.
> 
> And it goes without saying that if there's any way you can think of to better the story- be it through grammer, punctuation, plot or another aspect- throw a message my way and give me some advice. Criticism is a writer's best tool to better themselves.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First event of the Scare Games. A little shortened but that's because you guys know what goes down. I freaking loved writing this scene for some reason.

'This is a frat house?' Was Thomas' first thought as he stood outside a small, suburban home.

At first he wasn't sure if he was outside the wrong house, but the frat's emblem above the doorway dispelled the thought. How did the entire fraternity live in something this small?

Thomas had woken up especially early to visit Randall, immediately after they opened the first letter from the Scare Games. He didn't confront the lizard the night before because he knew he needed to get ready to move in. The simple fact that Thomas' judgement wasn't all too fair at that point also held him back. This had gotten ridiculous so quickly. Mike just couldn't accept that he wasn't going to be a scarer. After being given a hard time from students, Sullivan, professor Knight at times and Hardscrabble outright telling him he wasn't scary, Wazowski still came back for more abuse.

Now he was dragging Randall into this and that's what got to Thomas. He couldn't sink alone, he had to pull down his roommate and a whole fraternity of monsters with him. It was pathetic.

Thomas sighed, rubbing at his neck. He'd started working himself up again, right before seeing Randall. He didn't want to make him feel bad for joining and saving Mike, but he wanted to get his point across that there was nothing for him with them except embarrassment and hurt.

The furry monster walked up the steps to the house briskly, quickly reaching the doorbell. He didn't want to give himself time to second guess his argument or make it seem like he only wanted Randall to leave so that ROR had less competition in the Games.  
Randall was smart. He would go to the first logical conclusion and if Thomas said the wrong things, he would be suspected.

The bell rang with a winding charm, echoing from inside. A few voices were heard from far within but Thomas couldn't make out what was said. After a few more moments the door opened, revealing the small, pale monster. All five of his eyes widened as he looked up at Thomas.

"Hey."

"H-hey."

"Is Randall here?"

The monster blinked, looking behind him and stuttering, "Y-yeah, he's here."

They stared at one another for some the before Thomas shifted.  
"Can I see him?"

"Oh! Sure," he stepped out the way, opening the door further, "come in."

Thomas was about to decline when Wazowski suddenly appeared, inquisitively looking around the door. He blinked in surprise at the identity of the guest.

"Ghola, what are you doing here?" He inquired, stepping passed the pale OK.

"Just wanna talk to Randall." Thomas replied flatly. He'd been hoping not to run into the green monster.  
Said monster narrowed in eye, suspicion evident in his expression. However he waved a hand behind him, motioning to the staircase, and replied, "Upstairs on your second left."  
He stepped aside as Thomas walked in, muttering thanks.

The red monster was hit with the unexpected interior design. He nearly stopped dead when he laid eyes on the inside. The wallpaper, the furniture, the China on the shelves. Was this  _really_  a frat house?

Thomas climbed the stairs swiftly, his frown deepening as he ventured further into the house. This seemed more like a family home, or something that someone close to retirement lived in.

Thomas slowed his pace as he reached the first floor, treading slowly over to the second door, which was partly open. He rapped his knuckles across it quietly, awaiting a response.

"Come in." Randall sounded from within. Thomas entered, finding a dingy little room with a bunk bed, dusty old dressers and a small desk by the window. The reptile was seated at this desk, back turned to Thomas. When silence ensued, Randall turned in his seat and recoiled.

"Thomas!"

"You look shocked to see me."

"No! Its just…" he hopped off his chair and approached, "I didn't think I'd see you so soon. Thought we'd see each other at the Games."

Thomas shook his head, sporting a friendly smile.

"No ways, buddy, I wanted to come over and see your new digs," He made a show of looking around the room more thoroughly, "you rooming with someone?"

Randall had been fidgeting this entire time, watching as Thomas' eyes roamed.

"Yeah. Still roommates with Mike."

"Makes sense."

"Yeah…"

Thomas hummed, scratching at his ear. Why was he so reluctant to bring up what was on his mind? He just needed to tell Randall what a bad idea this was. He would listen to reason, especially if it was structured soundly.

"Randy-"

"I'm sorry!" The lizard burst.

Thomas flattened his ears in surprise.  
'Sorry'?

In a quieter voice, he repeated, "I'm sorry, Thomas."

"I'm not-"

"I didn't know what to do, and I only saw how dumb it was after you called me out." The lizard moved passed Thomas, shutting the door.

"Joining the Oozma's?" Thomas inquired, attempting to join Randall's line of thought.

"Mike looked desperate. He's been so down after getting kicked from the programme."

Thomas sighed and sat on the dresser directly opposite the bed.

"I'm not saying what you did was dumb,"

'It kinda was.'

"I'm just worried that Mike's just using you."

"Not in the way you're thinking," Randall sat on the lower bed, "he's genuinely happy that I'm here."

"And not just because you're helping him get what he wants."

"That's cynical."

"That's realistic."

Randall threw Thomas a look, making the monster quickly backtrack, knowing he was making no progress on that front.

"I just don't want you to embarrass yourself."

Randall frowned now.

"How? Because I'm not in a 'respected' fraternity?"

Thomas grimaced and Randall looked away.

"That's not-"

"I know," Randall interjected, "I'm just being difficult. I'll admit I felt pressured being asked to join like that, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

"You could leave."

"I'm not going to cost Mike the deal."

"So you're gonna go with it?"

Randall paused then shrugged.  
"These guys aren't so bad. A little strange, but nice. You should of seen our initiation."

Thomas leaned back on the wall and chuckled.

"What?"

"When you said you were gonna join Oozma Kappa before, I didn't think you were serious."

The red monster continued to chuckle, Randall joining in shortly after. They devolved into a fit of giggles, laughing at nothing but each other now. Thomas enjoyed the sound of Randall's laughter, that same sweet rolling laughter he had come to know well.

It ended with Randall laying across his bed, staring up at nothing, Thomas likewise staring up at the ceiling.  
Thomas spoke before he filtered his thoughts.

"I was afraid I'd come across as a jerk when I came here."

Randall moved his eyes to Thomas, focus entirely shifted. Thomas felt foolish for exposing himself like that but decided to continue under the reptile's coaxing gaze.

"I'm… still afraid they're gonna let you down somehow."

"Mike said he's going to carry the team so no worries there." Randall snickered. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"It's weird that- nah, whatever."

Randall stiffened in his position.  
"Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Start saying something important then stop."

"It wasn't important."

A incredulous look from Randall made him pull a face. Thomas quickly changed the subject.

"So now that you're in a frat, I bet your crush has come to  _you_."

"Shut up."

"So she  _has_  come knocking already?"

Randall sat up, being careful not to bump his head.  
"We're going to compete in the most dangerous campus event tonight and you're going on about a monster I like."

Thomas shrugged.  
"My priorities are set, Randy. Are yours?"

Randall blinked in surprise before his mouth broke in a wide smile.  
"Are you actually Thomas Ghola? First you're talking about how  _afraid_  you are and now you're being nice."

Thomas crossed his arms and huffed.  
"What do'ya know, I got feelings."

"I wished you'd use them more often."

"And I wish you'd wear your glasses more often."

Randall frowned. Thomas smirked victoriously.

"Fine."

"What?"

Randall got up and walked over to his bag where he rummaged around inside. He pulled out his glasses a second later and strutted over to Thomas.

"I wear my glasses from now on and you continue being sensitive."  
He stuck out a hand.

"What does this achieve?" Thomas didn't budge.

"I get to stop squinting and you get to be nicer," he gave the furry monster an imploring look, "also proves you're not chicken."

Thomas reacted, huffing and rolling his eyes. He begrudgingly grasped the hand offered to him.

"This is dumb."

Randall slipped on his glasses, his eyes widening significantly.  
"Use constructive words, Thomas, you're sensitive now."

* * *

"Must be nice to come back home again, Reggie." Javier teased as the RORs walked through the sewer entrance.  
Reggie growled in response, the rest of the group chuckled regardless.

Thomas didn't laugh as energetically as the rest. He was nervous.  _Very_  nervous.

He'd tried to quench some of it when visiting Randall and mostly succeeded, but now that he was moments away from the first challenge, it felt like the exam all over again. His fur bristled uncontrollably as they ventured further into the tunnel, the roar of a crowd not far away.

"Relax," Johnny had slowed to match Thomas' pace, "the first challenge is gonna be a breeze."

"Hah. Yeah." The maroon monster replied sheepishly, looking down at his feet. Johnny sounded sure, so he probably had nothing to worry about. How hard could the first challenge really be?

The note had mentioned something about toxicity in a child's room. Javier immediately came to the conclusion that it had something to do children's toys. Quick deduction meant it was probably going to be an obstacle course of some sort, littered with toxic toys. It was no wonder monsters were sent to the hospital last year.

They entered the room, which opened up into a huge cavern of concrete and steel. It was packed full of crazed monsters, cheering and hollering. Metal struck metal all around the room, echoing off the plain walls.

Claire and Brock stood above the crowd on a walkway, beneath huge red letters that declared: 'SCARE GAMES'.

They were ready to begin.  
The RORs pushed through the crowd to get closer to the walkway and ready themselves from the challenge ahead. Not long after the vice president began the ceremony.

"Welcome to your worst nightmare, the Scare Games!"

The ruckus tripled excitedly. Claire took over.

"Let's hear it for the frats and sororities competing in this year's games. Jaws Theta Chi!" She motioned down to the frat. The mentioned group exploded into a frenzy, Big Red going far as to break a plank over his head. Sullivan had Sanderson in a brotherly neck hold.

"Python Nu Kappa!"

The group of dainty monsters waved excitedly to the crowd.

"Slugma Slugma Kappa!"

The girls all pulled aggressive poses.

"Roar Omega Roar!"

The sound of his fraternity made Thomas' previous bout of nervousness dissolve. He threw his arms into the air with Chip and Javier, relishing in the cheers they got from the audience. Then it was over and Thomas' smile fell.

"Eta Hiss Hiss!"

The goth group stood stagnantly as their leader let loose an intimidating hiss.

"And finally, Oozma… Kappa!" The bird monster gestured somewhat awkwardly to the group, who stood just ahead of the entrance. They looked around in confusion, almost like they didn't expect to be called out. The crowd went silent, unsure of the status of this new fraternity.

Thomas felt himself biting his tongue, hoping Randall kept it together. A lone cheer sounded from above, to which the pale five-eyed monster replied, "Hi mom!"

Thomas dropped his head in his hands.

"Let's begin the first competition! The toxicity challenge!" Brock got everyone riled up again.

Claire began making her way down the walkway.  
"Human children are toxic! And anything they touch is toxic."

"We don't have any human toys, but thanks to MUs biology department, we found a close second," she reached into a freshly opened yellow box- mist overflowing from its sides- with a pair of grabbers. She pulled out what appeared to be a glowing ball of needles, "the stinging glow urchin! Trust me when I say you are  _not_  gonna wanna touch this bad boy."

"And you certainly don't wanna touch any of it's friends." The president motioned to several archways. A large open space held up by pillars extended outwards, absolutely littered with the things.

The council members came up and explained the rules of the challenge before announcing the imminent start. Thomas crouched down beside Javier and Chet, having already stretched before hand. Then Johnny spoke.

"I'll take first position. We take this in a single line. Follow what the guy in front of you does and we'll get through untouched."

Everyone nodded. Thomas decided to be the last one in the row. Just to be sure he could see the urchins coming.

"Attention teams! One last thing." Claire sauntered over to a switch on the wall, grabbing ahold of it and saying menacingly, "Scarers work in the dark."

All the lights went off in rapid succession, leaving Thomas blinking stupidly as tried to comprehend what he was seeing. It was the urchins, glowing evilly in the darkness. Thomas barely heard one of the HSS mutter a curse. He was inclined to agree.

"On your marks!"

"Psst, hey, Ghola." A familiar voice came from the left. Thomas glanced and saw Sullivan, crouched and ready just as he was.

"Don't trip, I'd hate to see the RORs eliminated because of a careless mistake."

Thomas felt his lip curl in anger at the decisively smug look on Sullivan's face.

"Don't worry about him, when you're actually in the scare program these sort of things aren't much of a problem." Johnny spoke up from the other side of the group, providing the blue monster with an even smugger look.

"Get set!"

"I'll learn for myself when we win." Sullivan turned back to the archway.  
Thomas gave Johnny a grateful look, but the monster was already facing the urchins, concentration furrowing his brow. Thomas did likewise, bunching up his muscles to prepare for the run ahead.

"Go!"

Thomas waited a split second for his teammates to edge ahead of him before leaping forward and sprinting after them. He was immediately distracted by a purple form yelling and jumping forwards into a pile of urchins, grabbing a few and nuzzling into them. Was he insane? Those things were as toxic as human toys, he'd end up going to hospital for sure. What happened though was instantaneous and disturbing. Where the needles had touched his skin, massive lumps of swollen flesh appeared. He screamed in agony as his entire body was engulfed by the masses.

Randall was at his side in a second, yelling something incoherent. That idiot was going to cost them the challenge. Thomas didn't really believe the OKs stood much of a chance, but with Randall on their team he hoped they would do much better. Appeared he was wrong.

Thomas was soon at a steady pace behind Chip, hopping over or sidestepping urchins along the way. It was surprisingly easy. He was soon in a rhythm. It was short lived however because the paths for each fraternity and sorority converged on a single hallway. Thomas was surprised to already see Randall and Mike legging it through before they quickly joined them. Thomas risked a glance back, looking for the rest of the Oozmas, seeing nothing but the JOX approaching with Sullivan at their head. The blue monster gave Thomas a wink, to which Thomas responded with a rude gesture.

As they entered the new hallway Thomas heard the crowds eager cheering burst forth again and Chet shouting for everyone to watch their heads. The walkways above were filled with monsters given crates of urchins to chuck down at them. They did just that. The single row plan took some strain as the RORs ducked and dived, avoiding urchins being lugged their way.

Mike was unlucky enough to be struck at the foot ahead of them. He collapsed in a heap, gasping at the pain of his leg swelling up. Johnny leaped straight over him, followed by everyone else. Randall had stopped and was returning to Mike to help him up, only to be shooed by the monster. "Go! I'll catch up!"

Thomas passed by them both, trying his best to give a reassuring look to Randall, who appeared panicked and fearful. Then they were left behind. Thomas hadn't seen the urchin being thrown his way, only noticing it after feeling it prick his skin.

An incredible burning sensation worked its way up his arm, centered around his forearm. He looked down to see the glowing ball stuck between his fur, the flesh around it huge in comparison to his other arm. He let out a shocked gasp as the pain tripled and the swollen area grew.

"Ah! God." He seethed as he continued to run, trying to keep up with his teammates. Chip was yelling something to Thomas, but the red monster couldn't hear it over the cheers of the crowd and his own shock. He pushed himself to go faster, attempting to shake off the pain. It wasn't long before the team had ducked under the walkways and now entered a new zone where urchins were strung up by strings all around. Everyone zipped to and fro, just barely missing them.

And not soon enough was the entire ROR team out and over the finish line, smiling victoriously. The Greek council vice president was already there with a large waiting crowd, which enthusiastically cheered.

"Roar Omega Roar wins!"

Thomas beamed, allowing himself to raise his uninjured arm up and wave to the crowd.  
A girl with a white shirt quickly approached him.  
"Let me get that." She grabbed the urchin sticking out of Thomas' arm and carried it away gingerly.

"You good, Ghola?" Javier was now before the red monster, motioning to his grotesque limb.  
What he wanted to say was, 'No, I'm definitely not good, can't you see the size of my arm?' but instead he said, "Yeah, I'm good."

Javier smiled and patted him on his good shoulder, along with Chip and Johnny.

Then a victorious exclamation sounded. Everyone turned to the finish line to see a deformed Wazowski celebrating beside a shell shocked Randall. Thomas leaned to the side, trying to spot the rest of the side OKs but finding none. Randall was also staring back into the tunnel, fidgeting aggressively.  
Why was Mike celebrating?

Chet snorted.  
"Way to blow it, Oozma's!" He jeered.

Mike glared at the crab, pointing a swollen finger in his direction.  
"Hey, second place ain't bad!"

He couldn't be serious.

Only when Brock announced the actual second place winners did Wazowski's smug expression turn to one of confusion.

"Second place, Slugma Slugma Kappa!"

Johnny sensed his confusion and decided to elaborate.  
"Your whole team has to cross the finish line."

"Third place, PNKs! Fourth place, JOX!"

Mike stared as the different teams rolled in.  
"No..."

"Fifth Place, HSS!"

"No, no, no!"

"And in last place, Oozma Kappa!"

The missing members of the fraternity appeared at the entrance, badly swollen and tired. The pale monster had to be rolled around.  
Randall shrunk into himself, grimacing like the stares they got were weighing him down.

"Oh, shocker! Oozma Kappa has been eliminated."  
Claire said as she dropped the OK plank from the board, officially eliminating the team from the games.

"No." Mike pitifully backs up, not realizing he was about to bump into the Dean.  
But Thomas didn't care about him, he made his way over to Randall, who stood beside the malformed Oozma's.

"Randy."

The lizard whirled his head around at the calling, relaxing when he spotted Thomas. He was glad to see he was unscathed, unlike the rest of his team. Randall seemed to notice Thomas' injury almost immediately.

"You got hit." He observed.

"You didn't."

The reptile shrugged with minimal effort.  
"I can go invisible."

Right.  
"I'm sorry you guys didn't win." Thomas said somewhat mournfully.

"So am I," Randall crossed his arms and kicked at the ground, "in the chaos I forgot everyone had to cross over. I should've reminded Mike."

"No point in faulting yourself now," Thomas dropped a hand on Randall's shoulder and shook him slightly, smiling, "you did your best, it would of taken a-"

"Attention everyone! We have an announcement!" Brock called out, pulling the focus to him, "Slugma Slugma Kappa… has been disqualified!"

Everyone turned to the guilty looking girls gathered beside the podium and several referees. Brock continued, holding up a container and looking to the sorority with a disgruntled gaze.  
"The use of illegal protective gel is cause for elimination."

A referee prodded one of the girls legs with an urchin, the explosive effect everyone expected didn't occur. When a towel was used to wipe off the area and the urchin used again, the leg immediately swelled up and the girl cried out in pain. Murmurs from the crowd started up.

Brock turned back to the crowd.  
"Which means, Oozma Kappa is back in the games! It's a miracle!"

Thomas and Randall shared a look of utter horror.  
"You're still in."

"We're still in." Randall gripped his fronds, eyes wide in what appeared to be fear.

Thomas barely heard Mike declare how difficult this was going to be and he found himself agreeing with the sphere.  
It was difficult not to pity them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shortest chapter thus far and possibly the most emotionally charged. It was fun, but kinda forces my ability to write confrontation and emotional uphevel into daylight. A place in which I'm not sure about it's quality. More incentive to work at it though.

Randall watched with detachment as Mike paraded before the Oozma's, lecturing them. He lost interest after Mike begun speaking about the loss they suffered the day before. He just couldn't stop rambling on about it. Randall just wanted to forget.

The lizards concentration was only swayed further when the team opened up about what they had to contribute. It was pitiful.  
Randall believed every monster had the capability to achieve great things and push the limits of what was known or done… but when a group of misfits like this set their minds to do the *one* thing they weren't in any way good at, Randall had to draw the line.

He joined out of sympathy and- he'll admit- peer pressure, but never once did he believe they had any chance of making it past the first challenge let alone winning. It was as Brock Pearson said, it was a miracle they were allowed another chance. He wasn't sure he wanted to continue.

"…So for this to work, I'm going to need you to take every instinct you have- and bury it deep deep down. "

Randall was pulled back to the conversation, looking between the OKs and Mike. Art immediately responded in the positive.  
Randall didn't approve of Mikes new approach. The requirements of team work in the challenges prevented him from carrying the team himself- Randall wasn't very sure about that plan in the first place- so he resorted to forcing his way into the leadership position and bossing everyone around. The reptile knew Mike had a disposition for being pushy and controlling, but he'd always shaken it off. Everyone had a less than stellar quality, his was just a little more annoying than others. But he couldn't now shake if off without risking the fragile fronts everyone was putting up to keep the mood alive.

Mike then commanded the OKs to perform scary steps, to which they immediately obliged. Randall was cut short after taking one step.

"Randy, I think you're good. You handled yourself well in the challenge."

The lizard shuddered. He didn't think so. When he finally got out of that urchin infested tunnel he had tears stinging his eyes and an absolute loss of breath, an utter mess. Thomas had actually been hit and was still calmer than him. Randall wasn't looking forward to the next challenge.

"Randy?" Mike gave the reptile an inquiring look. Randall looked back to see the Oozma's occupied with the steps and tentatively approached the sphere, speaking low.

"I don't know if we can do this, Mike."

"If you're implying we get a new team, that's not gonna happen."

"What? No, I meant there's no way we'll get through the next challenge. I freaked out on the first one, imagine how bad the second one will be."

"You did fine! It's them I'm worried about." Mike gestured to the team who had stopped to collectively observe a ladybug. He emphasised his point with an eyeroll before continuing.  
"You just keep yourself together and I'll whip these guys into shape."

Randall gave him a doubtful look.

"Miracles happen," Mike shrugged, "look what happened yesterday."

Randall shivered again. Why did the EEKs have to cheat? They would have won without using the gel, couldn't they see that?

"Oh, great." Mike said with a tone of disdain. Randall looked to see the sphere glaring behind him. He turned and was taken aback somewhat. He hadn't expected to see Sullivan outside the Games or class.

"How's it going, Oozma's?"

"What do you want?" Mike spat back, clearly in no mood for the friendly display. The rest of the team had noticed the blue monster's existence and gathered round.

"Nothing," Sullivan shrugged nonchalantly, "just wanted to congratulate you guys on your first victory."

Randall diverted his eyes from the furry monster's smug face. It was discomforting.

"Really? Gee, thanks. You can get going now." Mike dismissively shooed him away. He didn't budge however, appearing even more relaxed now.

"Actually now that I think of it… *you* should be thanking *me*."

Mike, of course, couldn't bring himself to ignore the comment and instead gave him a reaction.

"And why's that?"

"The protective gel," Sullivan inspected his claws with disinterest, "was my idea."

Everyone provided Sullivan with the confused expression he desired.

"Hah, what are you talking about?"

"Well, it was actually George who found out about it. The challenge slipped out in the biology department and he caught wind of it. He found some gel that would protect us. Obviously Big Red thought it was a good opportunity to get a leg up in the challenge but the chance of getting caught was high so…" he crossed his arms and smiled broadly, arrogantly, "I got the idea to plant it on the EEKs."

"You're joking." Mike stated flatly.

"Omar made it easy to get it into their house. The rest was all them." He chuckled.

It made sense. There was no doubt Sullivan didn't see the OKs as a threat, so seeing them eliminated in the first challenge wouldn't benefit anyone. But if they could get rid of a fraternity or a certain sorority who was known for their athletic ability, they would be at an advantage. Sullivan was craftier than Randall had first thought.

"You're a real piece of work, Sullivan," Mike pointed an accusing finger to the larger monster, "what's to stop me from reporting you?"

Sullivan shrugged.  
"Go ahead. Nobody will believe you."

"I think differently. You want to get back into the scare programme just as bad as I do, why wouldn't you cheat?"

"*I* didn't cheat."

"How do you sleep at night?"

"Very well, actually, knowing your dreams are about to get crushed."

"If any thing's gonna get crushed here it's your all brawn-no brain frat!"

Randall stepped between them before Sullivan could jab back.  
"Why are you here?" He questioned the blue monster, "to gloat? To intimidate us? Just leave us be."

Sullivan straightened out, pulling a bewildered look before sighing.  
"One win and you guys are all suddenly tight. It's ridiculous. You can't see that he's using all of you, especially you," he pointed to Randall, "you're the closest thing to a scarer on this team and the beachball is taking full advantage of that."

"Closest thing?" Randall whispered to himself.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Mike fumed.

"When I told Wazowski to join you guys," he pointed to the Oozma's assembled behind Randall and Mike, who stood awkwardly, "after Big Red picked me up he said: 'is that a joke?'."

Mike moved to speak but was cut off.

"He thinks you're all a joke. You are all his last minute back up plan."

Randall stomped up to Sullivan.  
"Go away!"

Sullivan took a step back but didn't leave. His verbal barrage turned to Randall.  
"You're the biggest fool here for *being* his friend. You're a stepping stone back into the scare programme for him."

"Stop!"

Sullivan turned back to Mike with a fiery glint in his eyes.  
"*You're* the piece of work, Wazowski. You and your team of adorable monsters."

"What's going on?" The firm voice of Thomas sounded to everyone's left. Randall almost cried out in relief at seeing the furry red monster. He stood in a wide stance, lips taunt and ears flattened. He must have heard the commotion. Sullivan regarded him with significantly less contempt than he did with Mike.

"Was a friendly chat," Sullivan said bitterly before turning, "but I guess it's over." Then he stalked away, his footfalls heavier than usual.

Thomas watched him go, hands clenched tightly before turning to the Oozma's. He regarded them all with a raised eyebrow as if to ask, 'what was that about?'.

"Wow," Art whistled, "that was intense."

"Forget about him, he's just being an ass."

"Those were some hefty things he said, Mike." Don chuckled nervously before it quickly died.

Thomas watched in confusion. He hadn't heard what happened, instead catching the beginning of the altercation from across the quad, resulting in him rushing over. He was about to demand answers but Randall's sudden disappearance stumped his words. He whirled around, searching for the lizard before finding him striding hastily across the quad.  
The others hadn't even noticed.

"Randall!" Thomas called out before jogging to catch up.

He rounded the corner of the architecture building to find the reptile leaning against the wall- staring at the ground. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.  
At least he hadn't camouflaged himself.

"Randy." He said quietly, approaching him somewhat warily. He wasn't sure what was wrong and couldn't identify the emotions on Randall's face.

A sniffle brought Thomas from the fence. He was by the lizards side when he finally broke down into barely audible sobs. Kneeling beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, Thomas waited for him to calm.  
He didn't though, the sobs increased in volume and wracked Randall's body as he slid down the wall to rest on the ground.

It took another seven minutes of crying until Randall had tired out and sat silently, occasionally rubbing at his eyes. Thomas didn't want to be the first to speak, unsure of what to say or how it would come across. He sat there awkwardly, biting his lips and staring at the trees in the distance, calmly blowing in the morning breeze.

Randall eventually spoke, voice hoarse.  
"Sorry."

Thomas sputtered out a response.  
"No, it's... don't worry about it."

A bird landed nearby, pecking at the pavement for scraps of food. Thomas and Randall watched it silently, one contemplating what to say next and the other wishing he could just go home.

Randall eventually stood up, sighing remorsefully as he did so. Thomas hopped up as well, awkwardly standing beside him now.

"The guys will wonder where I am." Randall explained quietly as he rounded the furry monster. His intent was to leave- hopefully the entire situation behind.

"What was that all about?"

Randall's response was immediate.  
"Sullivan said some dumb crap."

"Sullivan." Thomas seethed, his mood instantaneously darkening.

Randall turned to see the red monster's hackles raised and sensed his intentions.  
"Don't confront him."

"Why not?"

"Because he's looking for a fight and if you give him one he'll happily oblige."

"Good."

Randall sighed, running a hand through his fronds. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Thomas about this.  
"*Not* good. Just leave him alone. Promise me," Randall said decisively, glaring at Thomas, whose confident resolve whittled, "it'll only cause more trouble. Promise me."

Thomas shook his head, clearly disagreeing but nevertheless, "Fine."

Satisfied, Randall turned only to be stopped again.

"It must have been more than some 'dumb crap'."

Randall relented hesitantly.  
"…A little more."

"I'm here to talk." Thomas made an open arm gesture, indicating to himself. Randall's heart warmed, reflected through the smile that adorned his face.

"Another time."

Thomas bit his lip and nodded, disappointed. Randall wanted to tell him but he knew it wouldn't do any good. It couldn't be helped, not by anyone. Hopefully he forgot about this so it could never be mentioned again. Randall was doubtful. He had broken down into tears in front of Thomas after all. It was considerably worse than the confrontation with Chet. He'd handle it later.

With a wave and a warm smile, Randall bid farewell. Thomas glared at the ground, unsure how to handle the situation and the emotions it left him with. He was unused to feeling powerless.

His glare hardened only further.  
That feeling wasn't going to last long.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this story isn't dead... just groggy. Been busy with life and random crap, yadda-yadda, so I fell behind. Sorry about that. But thank you to everyone who left comments, sent me messages and actually read any of my crap. I appreciate it.
> 
> So this is the second Scare Games challenge, kind of a lot different from the movie but also kinda not.

Thomas treaded carefully, trying his best not to cause the floorboards to creak more than they should. He was probably the heaviest monster in ROR and made the most noise when crossing them. Every now and then he'd glance back to see if the librarian was still reading her book. They were halfway across the library at this point, having gone up the stairs to get higher. Johnny's plan was to hoist Javier over the ledge and around to the statue to retrieve the flag, Thomas and him doing the heavy lifting.

Chip and Chet were stationed below them at Thomas' urging. Although he was the biggest, he didn't have the utmost faith in his strength. They were be there in case something went wrong, whether it be catching Javier or the flag. Reggie wouldn't be coming since he couldn't stay perfectly quiet for long periods of time.

Thomas glanced over the ledge to see the other teams progress. Jaws Theta Chi were on the opposite stairwell, moving painfully slow upwards. Their entire team- with the exception of Omar- consisted of large, heavy footed monsters, keeping absolutely still must have been difficult for them.

HSS were nowhere to be seen. Thomas last saw them at the starting line where they darted up a staircase and disappeared. The PNKs were edging across the middle of the library, closing in on the ladder. Their light weight meant they could move at a quicker pace. They were probably going to reach the flags first.

But then Thomas spotted Randall crawling across the wooden framework on the other side of the library, making short work of the distance to the flags. A quick search for the OKs came up with nothing. They must have sent him out on his own to get it. It was smart, considering he was the only one who could scale walls and would make retrieving the flag a breeze, but Thomas disapproved of Mikes leadership. This was supposed to be a team effort from everyone, and he was making Randall do all the heavy lifting. He'd discuss it with Randall when they got out of here.

Thomas wondered what would happen if the librarian caught them. She wasn't actively searching for anyone, only looking about when an arbitrary creak sounded. Nobody was going to get caught at this rate.  
Then, as if to answer Thomas, a loud groan sounded beneath a student's foot on the library floor. He gasped, eyes widening. Everyone stopped to watch as the librarian shut her book with a bang and raised herself up to quadruple her size, tentacles flowing over the desk. Thomas cursed to himself as she grabbed the blue student below, who was frozen in fear, and pull him up to her face.

"I said  _quiet._ " Her ghostly voice sounded out. In a second, the blue student was flung up through the roof and out of sight, screaming the whole way.

Thomas looked back to Javier and Johnny, who both let out nervous breaths. They continued. The trio were only a few steps away from the ledge when a pink face popped up. It was a PNK. She'd climbed the ladder.

She grabbed her flag and gave the boys a little wave and a smile before disappearing again. That was one team through.  
Johnny turned to Thomas and spoke in a low voice.

"Get a good spot where you're anchored."

Thomas nodded, passing the two and reaching the banister. He stuck a foot between the beams and tested his flexibility from there. He then placed his right foot behind him in a wide stance. He nodded to Javier.

The insect-like monster came up and climbed the banister sitting on it in front of Thomas. He gave the red monster a stern look before whispering, "Don't drop me."

Javier extended his legs out on either side of Thomas, who wrapped an arm around each and tightened his grip around the other's upper leg. With a slow inhale, Javier pushed off the ledge and his entire weight now rested in Thomas' arms, which buckled momentarily before holding. Johnny stood beside the red monster, ready to intervene if necessary.

Javier, nearly upside down, looked about to get his bearings before seeing the flags hanging off the statue. He reached out with two of his arms, coming up short. He looked back up at Thomas, whose brow was knitted in concentration and motioned to the right.

Thomas angled himself differently, trying to get Javier closer. It wasn't enough though. Javier motioned more aggressively.  
Thomas repositioned his foot messily, resulting in a his claws scratching the floor. The trio froze, looking to the librarian for any disturbance. They collectively sighed after seeing they were still safe.

"C'mon, Ghola," Johnny nudged Thomas' side, "let's hurry this up."

Thomas nodded and bit his lip as he pulled Javier around a little more, he was closer now, able to touch the ROR flag with the back of his finger.

"Almost..." The insect muttered through clenched teeth.

Then a loud bang echoed through the entire library. Everyone stopped and looked to see a book, fall to the floor and splay out messily. The librarian whirled around, squinting in the detection of the noise. Directly above the book on the floor was Randall, eyes wide and frozen stiff. He was scaling one of the bookshelves now, practically five metres away from the flags. He must have knocked one of the books loose by mistake.

Thomas bit his lip as the librarian continued to glare in his direction, eventually turning after a couple seconds. Then another loud bang sounded. Followed by another. Books flew from between two bookshelves toward Randall, who flattened himself against his perch, whirling his head around to see their origin. Thomas glared into the dim lighting on the other side and found himself looking at Sullivan, book in hand, one eye closed as he lined his arm up.

"That cheat…" Thomas seethed.

Randall quickly scurried across to the statue, panicking now. Sullivan let book after book fly, his ammunition refueled by the JOX members behind him. What did he think this could accomplish, if he angered the librarian now then it would be hell for everyone to get the flags.

Randall was cut short by a book that connected with the wall directly in front of him. He nearly lost his footing, two of his hands coming loose in the close call. He muttered something to himself before beginning to disappear. Half his body had camouflaged before a large book sailed through the air and hit Randall directly in the back. He let out a yelp before coming off the wall, falling noisily to the floor below.

The librarian at this point was rushing over, her mouth contorted in a sinister growl, hands at the ready.

"No." Thomas whispered desperately.

Randall lay on the ground, bewildered and confused.

The librarian's tentacle reached out, ready to snatch the lizard up and threw him from the library. Thomas looked away, unable to see Randall subjected to the same fate as the previous student.

Then everything stopped when loud popping noises sounded across the room. The librarian stopped in her tracks, bewilderment clear in her face as she turned. In the middle of the library lay one of the Oozma's, the middle aged one, pulling the suckers on his tentacles off the floor.

What was he doing?  
The librarian's expression turned back to one of annoyance and anger as she slithered up to the OK. Then just as she was about to reach him, two shouts sounded from the floor above where the twin OKs danced and yelled. A laugh from the purple monster on the floor accompanied by kicking books and lamps off the table drew her attention.

Soon the entire library was a ruckus of noise and chaos. Johnny grabbed hold of the banister and yelled at Thomas.  
"Ghola! C'mon!"

Thomas blinked in surprise but with a final grunt he pulled Javier right up to statue, where the ROR flag was quickly grabbed. This short victory came at a price, because Thomas' sudden movement, he'd lost his footing and was tipping over slightly. Johnny cried out as he grabbed the red monster around the waist and shoulder to prevent him and Javier from tumbling over the banister.

Thomas barely registered the HSSs who had reappeared above them, the leader acting as the anchor to create a ladder for the team. The last girl was in arm's reach of the statue, her fingers grabbing desperately.

An orange blur had also appeared from in between the bookcases. Omar Harris pumped his wings aggressively as he sped through the air, closing in on the JOX flag.

Randall had also regained his senses and was making his way up the wall, heaving himself up at tremendous speeds. This was the tie breaker. Whoever got their flag and got out last was out the Games. Thomas found some strength boiling inside his gut, urged on by the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and heaved upwards in Javier, pulling the insect away from a long drop.

Unfortunately, the Oozma Kappa team distraction hadn't been all too effective. The collection of shouts, grunts and leathery wing noises were enough to pull the librarians attention back towards them. With a earth shaking roar she lashed out one of his long tendrils. Everyone tried their best to avoid it, just barely dodging its whip like end as it connected with the statue.

A loud crack sounded, the arm of the marble statue- which held all the flags- came loose. Thomas gasped as Javier pulled himself to the side to avoid being hit with the tumbling stone, losing grip on the ROR flag.

Chip and Chet cried out and they threw themselves in either direction, the arm crashing down where they once stood and shattering even further.

The combination of Thomas' pull and Javier's dodge was enough to send all three RORs back into safety. They gathered themselves up quickly and gazed over the ledge, finding the remaining flags drifting down slowly to the ground, all having come loose of the statue.

"Ah crap." Johnny cursed, pushing away from the banister and rushing down towards the staircase, Javier followed.

The librarian was blindly lashing out now, trying to grab anyone unfortunate enough to be within reach. The JOX were also rushing down to the ground floor, yelling to Omar.

The small, winged monster let out a loud expletive as he beat his wings, soaring down to the slowly falling flag. With almost majestic ease, he scooped it out the air and pulled up, only barely managing to avoid of the librarian's rogue tendrils. He circumnavigated her, bound for his teammates.

Randall was perched on the balcony, watching the OK flag drift downwards, a desperate look on his face. Before Thomas could stop him, the lizard leaped forward, snatching the green flag mid-air and tumbling downwards where he connected with one of the librarians tendrils, holding on for deal life. Thomas had instinctively leapt over the banister, feet catching the ladder below, which he proceeded to push off of.

Just as Randall had done, Thomas reached out and snagged the ROR flag with the ends of his claws before curling up and hitting the librarian as well. He hadn't caught and held on though, and quickly rolled off her and onto a table below, letting out a pained 'oof'. He wheezed out, blinking in surprise when he realized he couldn't breathe.

Chip and Chet were by in side in a second, pulling him off the table and half carrying- half pulling him away from the librarian.  
Thomas' eyes rolled around in their sockets, barely registering what was happening around him. Soon Johnny and Javier were before him, helping carry Thomas.

The red monster was slowly overcoming his shock and started taking some of his own weight. Before they got halfway across the library however, a rogue tendril flew beneath the teams legs and knocked them all over. They were separated by the force of it and ended up on either side of the ground floor.

Everyone was quick to get up. Johnny yelled from the other side.  
"Run!"  
Then he followed his own advice, Chet and Javier close behind him. Chip had helped pulled Thomas back up and began running ahead, the red monster staggering along. Thomas' breathing was haggard and deliberate, his steps crudely placed. He wondered if he had a concussion.

"Hurry up!" Chip yelled over his shoulder, speeding ahead. Thomas tried to match the pace but was cut off by the librarians tendril, which crashed down in front of him, making him trip over it and fall. Chip was already gone.  
Thomas quickly yanked himself to his feet, only to be knocked down again by a small figure.

"Thomas!" Randall yelped as he fell beside the red monster.

The furry monster merely widened his eyes in response- only to widen his eyes further when glancing behind the purple lizard. He shoved Randall away roughly, making the reptile slide across the varnished wooden floors and rolled away from another snaking tendril that latched down on the area they once occupied. Thomas cursed loudly in frustration and fear, hobbling to his feet and sprinting away. It wasn't long before the entrance was in sight and he bounded toward it.

The bright sunlight blinded him for a moment, causing him to run straight into Reggie and Chip. The trio tumbled down onto the grass.

"Ghola!" Someone shouted, turning the red monster over and slapping his shoulder. Thomas couldn't open his eyes in the bright light nor could he speak for breathlessness. Instead he raised his hand into the air, flag between his fingers.

A massive burst of cheering and whopping sounded as he did so, causing him to smile somewhat through his pain. Johnny yanked him to his feet and patted his shoulder.  
"You did good." he said gently.

Thomas' smile widened further, pride warming his soul. The RORs all celebrated around him, each taking their turn to congratulate each other.

A disturbance at the doorway of the library made everyone turn their attention. The monsters positioned in front and around hopped out the way, including the RORs, as a pile of Oozma Kappas stumbled out and slid across the grass, before the stream. The arch-like monster excitedly cried out.  
"We did it!"

Mike was up in a flash, angrily scolding him.  
"No we didn't! We forgot the flag!"

"Mike." The pale monster behind Wazowski called, standing beside a haggard looking Randall who held up a green flag in one hand. The OKs collectively praised Randall, making him smile slightly.

Collective screams were heard from above as six dark blurs flew from the top of the library and into a tree before dropping into the stream. The crowd cheered. Brock Pearson was already out on a podium set up with the boards of each team. As Claire pulled out the dark HSS board, he announced, "HSS have been eliminated and Oozma Kappa live to scare another day!"

The OKs bunched up and began chanting: 'We're OK!'.

Randall caught Thomas' gaze and gave a meek wave. Thomas smiled broadly back before the lizard was pulled into the celebration.  
Thomas turned when he felt a nudge. Chip stood before him, holding out his hand. Thomas took it and they shook roughly, Chip smiling lazily.  
"Let's go grab a bite. I'm wasted after all that running, I dunno about you."

Thomas nodded feverishly, causing him to wince in pain. The adrenaline was wearing off and he was sorry for it. Maybe he should check out if he had a concussion first.  
He shrugged it off. It probably wasn't serious.

"Let's go." He answered. Chip walked off, Reggie following. Thomas gave one last look at his competition for the next challenge.

Sullivan and the JOX further in the crowd, talking excitedly amongst themselves. The PNKs already leaving. And the OKs, who were still chanting in a huddle, Mike had joined in. His gaze lingered on Randall for a moment. Then he joined Chip and Reggie, waiting for him on the other side of the stream.

* * *

Thomas walked slowly through the neighborhood. He'd been here before the toxicity challenge to visit Randall, but he hadn't taken much notice of the area. The fact that a frat lived in the area was even more boggling.

He'd gone to have lunch with Chip, Reggie and Martin, who'd joined them soon after leaving. He learned more about them when they started chatting. Chip had been in the frat for two years and was picked up much in the same way Thomas was. Reggie however, was the newest member before Thomas, only joining last year. He and Johnny had actually gone to the same high school, which explained the nickname Johnny often called him by, 'Bruiser'. Martin was a senior, like Johnny, and had some history with JOX. He didn't give away much but Thomas deducted he must have been a member at some point.

Chip had first appeared to Thomas as this quiet, indifferent douchebag but after joining ROR he knew it wasn't so. And now after speaking to him- practically one on one since Reggie and Martin were conversing like old friends- Thomas knew without a doubt how cool he really was.

'By the way, there's a party tonight at our place and since you know the Oozma's I told Johnny you'd invite them.'

He'd explained it was an annual mid-games party hosted by the RORs. Every year the remaining frats and sororities in the Games came to have a good time. Everybody was invited, but the teams still competing got personally invited. Thomas agreed and took his leave, thinking it was better to tell them about it sooner rather than later. It also gave Thomas a chance to meet the OKs all personally.

The maroon monster climbed the steps, reaching the doorbell and pushing it firmly, that same winding charm echoing from within. It wasn't long before a monster who looked scarily similar to the pale five eyed OK answered.

"Errr…" Thomas did a double take of the plaque above the door. He had the right house, right? "Hi."

"Hi there, sweetie. What can I do for you?"

"Is-" he tried to peer around her, "is Randall here?"

"Oh, you must be Thomas!" She said excitedly. He breathed in relief.  
"I'll go get him. Come on in." She left the door open and went over to the staircase shouting up to the second floor.  
"Boys! Thomas is here!"

The furry monster walked into the hall, taking a closer look at the interior design. He guessed the woman who answered must have been the pale monster's mother.  
"Which explains the china." He muttered softly to himself.

"Thomas?" Randall's head poked down from the staircase, glasses flashing in the light.

"How's it going?"

Randall thanked the woman and walked in.  
"What are you doing here?"

"Are you gonna be this surprised whenever I come over?" Thomas chuckled.

Randall smiled a bit.  
"Unless you plan on making a habit out of it."

"I could," Thomas smirked before quickly commenting, "glad to see you held up your part of the deal."

Randall blinked a bit, tilting his head. Thomas chuckled and signed circles around his eyes. The reptile let out a loud 'ooh' and looked down sheepishly.

"Well... yeah. I really didn't want to."

Thomas sensed the unease from Randall. The way he readjusted with his glasses now that he remembered he wore them, the way his shoulders hunched inward whenever he was embarrassed. The red monster smiled, reaching forward to swat away the lizards fidgeting fingers from his face.

"I like them. You're not glaring anymore."

Randall let out a nervous chuckle before looking about awkwardly.  
"You… want a drink?"

"I'd die for some coffee. Angie still hasn't learned how to make a good cup yet."

Walking into the connected kitchen and picking up the coffee machine, Randall filled it with water.  
"You went to United?"

"With Chip and Reggie. Had a bite after all that mayhem in the library."

"Yeah… that really sucked." Randall switched the coffee machine on, turning to find Thomas in the kitchen, inspecting the pictures on the fridge.

"Can say that again. I thought I'd broken something when I landed on that table."

"Are you alright?"

"Just a couple scrapes and bruises, maybe a little concussion." He laughed. Randall stared back unimpressed.

"That was dumb. Chet could of grabbed it at the bottom."

Thomas shrugged. He hadn't looked down to see what the situation with those below was like, he'd acted on impulse. It got them through the challenge, that's all that mattered.

"So any idea what's gonna happen to the librarian? I mean, she broke one if the statues and messed up half the library?"

Thomas couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Oh, yeah, she's in trouble for that, but so is the Greek council."

Randall huffed.

"This isn't funny. If she hit somebody like she hit that statue who knows how many bones they would have broken."

Thomas shrugged, somewhat unphased. It had happened, nobody got injured, so what was the use of worrying about it.

"Well do you at least care about whether they're going to cancel the Games?"

The red monster shook his head adamantly.

"Johnny heard they considered it, but there'd be too much backlash. This is something the university is known for country wide— to be shut down because of a small accident would be pretty pointless."

"If it  _was_  a small accident." Randall pointedly looked at Thomas through his glasses. He really was a worrywort. "How did Johnny know anyways?

Thomas shrugged again. Randall just gave him a short sidelong gaze before looking back at the coffee machine.

"Hey, you guys busy tonight?"

"Don't think so."

"Good, because you're coming to a party."

Randall cocked his head, looking for an explanation. Thomas put back a picture of the OKs on the fridge.

"We're hosting a mid-games party for you guys."

"For us?" Randall frowned.

"Well, for everyone in the Games still— which includes you. So you have to come."

Randall turned back to the coffee machine, grabbing mugs to pour into.  
"I dunno, Thomas."

"Dunno what? It's just a party."

"Where Sullivan and a bunch of other jerks are gonna be."

Thomas threw his arms up in an exasperated sigh.  
"Who cares? If he gives anyone grief I'll kick him out."

"Doesn't matter. I don't want to be near him," Randall said decisively, "he's the one that nearly cost us the challenge. I can't believe he didn't get disqualified!" He growled out, gripping the mugs a little tighter.

Thomas came around and leaned on the counter, pouting.  
"Yeah, he's an ass, everyone but him knows it… but he's not the reason you're going to the party," he twirled a claw around the edge of one of the cups, "you're going because you got the Oozma's through the challenge."

Randall paused, a surprised look on his face.  
"I- I guess I did."  
He broke into a proud smile.

"And of course I'm going to be there." Thomas smiled his creepy smile.

Randall rolled his eyes.  
"But we're gonna have to convince Mike to come as well."

"We're all going." Randall and Thomas turned to the living area, where Mike stood silently.

"How long-" Thomas frowned.

"Long enough," Wazowski walked around into the kitchen, opening the fridge, "we'll be there."

"Great,"Thomas clapped his hands together before turning back to Randall, "I'll see you there."

"Your coffee." Randall gestured to the cup. Thomas was already at the door, in the process of opening it.

"Mike can drink it." Was all he said before shutting the door behind him, Randall staring where Thomas had once been.

Mike shut the fridge door before walking out the kitchen.  
"I'm not drinking his coffee."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the moment (I hope!) you've all been waiting for has finally arrived!

> The party was animated. Monsters from all across campus were present and in the process of drinking, socializing or playing pool.
> 
> Thomas had stopped to have conversations with a lot of the monsters there, even running into the two girls he met at sign-ups. They swooned extra hard this time and Thomas eventually peeled himself away out of fear they may make a move on him. He continued to move about the house, trying to busy himself in conversation or dancing. He was actually looking for Randall, unsure whether the Oozmas had slipped in silently or even arrived at all. He sincerely hoped they kept their word and actually showed up.
> 
> Why was he so concerned about this in the first place? They'd get here when they got here, there wasn't any rush. Thomas had noticed Randall acting a little out of character lately and wondered if it was Mike's influence. Sullivan and Mike weren't good for one another and especially to those unfortunate to be around them when they argued. Randall must be getting all the brunt of the sphere's venting. It wasn't fair.
> 
> Thomas had eventually downed a cup of spiked punch and played pool, challenging himself against Maria, who'd been thrilled to catch up with him again.
> 
> "No offence, but you kind of suck." The orange slug monster pulled an amused face when Thomas' grip on his cue slipped and he sent the white ball rolling in the wrong direction. He couldn't fault her there, but decided to preserve some of his ego.  
>  "Just feeling a little hazy from the punch, is all."
> 
> Maria nodded pensively before taking her shot, lining it up well enough to sink two solids. While moving around the table for her next shot, Maria offhandedly spoke.  
>  "You're looking a little distracted."
> 
> "I am?"
> 
> "Yeah," she took the shot, watching as the number two ball was chipped towards a hole, only just missing a sink, "you look like you're miles away."
> 
> "Just been thinking." Thomas muttered.
> 
> "About?"
> 
> "Stuff."
> 
> Maria giggled.  
>  "That is such a guy thing to say. What are you worrying about? The Games?"
> 
> Thomas shrugged.  
>  "I guess. Not sure what to think at this point. They're kinda awful."
> 
> Maria laughed now.  
>  "Yeah, they're pretty hardcore," she took another shot, "but you seem to be handling it well enough."
> 
> Johnny thought so too. Everybody did. Thomas was a little concerned by how he'd been fairing as a ROR. But most of his worry was squashed after his performance in the library today as well as the subsequent chat with Chip, Reggie and Martin. He supposed he had to agree.
> 
> "But I think there's something more." Maria said critically.
> 
> Thomas cocked an eyebrow.  
>  "What does that mean?"
> 
> "Like, you've got something going on that you're not comfortable talking about," she shrugged before quickly continuing, noticing Thomas' perturbed expression, "…or not aware of."
> 
> "What? Like internal conflicts or something?" He curled his lip. The idea sounded silly.
> 
> "I don't know, Thomas, we don't hang out enough for me to really say," she pulled back on the cue and let it fly, sinking a solid masterfully, "you should try and figure it out though, otherwise it'll start building and become an issue."
> 
> "It can't turn into an issue if it doesn't exist," the male gave an annoyed flick of his hand, "how are you so sure there's something up… subconsciously with me?"
> 
> "You'll find others can sometimes read you better than yourself." Maria said mysteriously, taking another shot and sinking the eight ball, winning the game. She smiled victoriously before shifting her eyes to Thomas, who seemed to be affected by her words.
> 
> " _Now_ I'm worried." Thomas chuckled after a moment.
> 
> Maria joined in.  
>  "I didn't mean to sound serious, it's just I've seen these looks on your face and felt like I had to mention it."
> 
> "Yeah— thanks," Thomas scratched his ear, "I'll figure it out… go soul-searching, find myself or whatever."
> 
> The EEK girl laughed loudly, giving Thomas an amused look.  
>  "What have I done?"
> 
> Then the pumping beat of music was suddenly erased, leaving the house feeling much less lively.
> 
> "What is…?" Thomas looked about, unsure of what was happening. Then he heard a voice from somewhere in the house call out,  
>  'It's Oozma Kappa!'
> 
> Thomas ears perked and he quickly set the cue down on the table. Maria gave him a questioning glance.
> 
> "Got to welcome the new arrivals."
> 
> She smiled and bid him adieu, turning back to the pool table where another monster had already taken up Thomas' stick.
> 
> The red monster pushed through the house, finding it reinvigorated by the music. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he made his way to the living area, just in time to see the OKs filter in.
> 
> They looked about nervously, almost fearfully, Mike being the only exception. He led them through to the edge of the dancefloor and looked about the monsters raving upon it. Thomas stepped up to them quickly, a broad smile on his face.
> 
> "Hey guys, glad you made it!" He shouted over the music.
> 
> Everyone recoiled at his sudden appearance before giving sheepish greetings. Randall provided him with a warm grin.
> 
> "Drinks and snacks in the kitchen, pool table in the rec room and bathroom upstairs," he pointed to every respective room before gesturing behind him to the dancefloor, "mingle and have fun!"
> 
> The gathered Oozmas thanked him, Wazowski watching Thomas a second longer than the rest, and shimmied across the room, still somewhat stuck together awkwardly. Thomas chuckled at that before turning to Randall, who'd stayed.
> 
> "I'm really glad _you_ made it."
> 
> The lizard gave a helpless shrug.  
>  "Couldn't opt out when everyone wanted to go. Had to actually stop miss Squibbles from coming too."
> 
> "Wouldn't that be a sight." Thomas chuckled, coaxing Randall to follow him. They made their way through to the kitchen, which was far less busy than the living area. He grabbed a beer for himself and a soda for his friend before continuing on to opposite side of the room to keep out the way of traffic.
> 
> "I expected to see you here earlier." Thomas settled on the counter, legs hanging over the side. Randall stepped beside the island opposite him and leaned against it.
> 
> "Were you waiting on us?" Randall sipped at his soda, an eyebrow raised suspiciously.
> 
> Thomas felt a little silly.
> 
> "No, just you." He said with a lazy smile. Randall laughed a bit before taking a sip of his drink again.
> 
> "Well I came like I said I would… but that doesn't mean I'm going to stay the whole night."
> 
> "Why not?" Thomas frowned.
> 
> Randall took another sip, pulling a face.  
>  "I told you, I'm not going to hang around a bunch of monsters who thought we were losers," he looked down, "still think we're losers."
> 
> Thomas' confused expression made Randall sigh.
> 
> "You didn't notice at the first challenge? Everyone laughed at us. Nobody liked us. Only after the second challenge, when we show our worth we're actually invited to a party," he looked to the side, glaring at something across the room, "and some monsters still treat us like we're beneath them."
> 
> Thomas was shocked by how quickly the conversation turned and its direction.
> 
> "People didn't know you guys at the first challenge," he countered, "you were strangers, you couldn't expect them to support a team they've never heard of."
> 
> "Nobody made an effort to even be friendly," the lizard replied tiredly, "and then suddenly they're all nice and supportive."
> 
> "Why are you so hung up on that? You don't need to prove anything to them. You don't need to be their friend."
> 
> Randall rolled his eyes.  
>  "You wouldn't get it, people actually like you."
> 
> This highly annoyed Thomas.
> 
> "'Cause I'm an archetype, right? A popular jock who gets his ass kissed by everyone?"
> 
> Randall widened his eyes and sputtered, "God— Thomas, I didn't mean it like that. No, I meant that you're confident and easy to talk to and," he trailed off, "good looking."
> 
> Thomas shook his head in confusion. He wasn't sure whether to be upset with what was said or sympathetic. Randall ran a hand over his fronds.
> 
> "I'm sorry, Thomas. I'm just being bitter. I really wasn't looking forward to coming."
> 
> He chose sympathy.
> 
> "I just want you to enjoy yourself. I know people can be two faced and mean but if I can deal with it then so can you. You're a lot stronger than me."
> 
> Randall snorted and pulled a face that said: 'really?'
> 
> "What? You are! When I was ready to cave Sullivan's face in you stopped me and y _ou_ were the one he'd pissed off. I don't have that kind of self control."
> 
> "You are being uncharacteristically nice lately." Randall chuckled.
> 
> Thomas smiled guiltily.  
>  "I really don't want you to leave, also it was part of our deal," he jabbed his beer forward to point at Randall's glasses, leaning closer as he did so, "so screw them, let's have some fun."
> 
> With a light laugh, Randall shook his head.  
>  "You're incorrigible. Fine, you roped me in."
> 
> "Awesome," Thomas downed the rest of his beer and waved the lizard to follow, "no more negativity for the rest of the night, it's a party."
> 
> They made their way back into the living area, Thomas piercing the wall of bodies that started the dancefloor. Randall hesitated, taking a step back from the raving crowd. Clearly he hadn't expected to get roped into _this._ Thomas grabbed his arm before he had time to properly retreat and yanked him in.
> 
> "Thomas!" he yelled over the music, "I can't dance!"
> 
> Thomas was already jumping along to the beat, a manic smile on his face. He pointed to the right of the nervous lizard, toward Don and the twins who could be seen dancing madly.
> 
> "If they can do it— so can you!"
> 
> Randall bit his lip as he stared their way, eventually giving one last pleading look to the maroon monster before him, who coaxed him on.  
>  With an uncomfortable intake of breath, he began to bounce lightly on his feet to the beat, finding its rhythm.
> 
> "There you go!" Thomas yelled enthusiastically.
> 
> Randall grew more confident as his movements became more energetic. A dumb smile was plastered over his face soon after, as he and Thomas danced side by side under flashing lights and the blissful oppression of sound. Thomas found himself looking down more at Randall with each passing minute, gleaning his features. Thomas couldn't recall when last he'd seen the lizard— if ever— looking this happy. It had always been a kind of reserved joy about him before; the way he'd smile or chuckle. Only reason Thomas knew he always this way was because his soft, melodic laughs were positively soaked in genuine joy. He'd figured out why he worked so hard to get Randall to laugh like that all the time.
> 
> Soon, too soon for Thomas' liking, the song died down and was replaced by a something less energizing. Randall panted as he slowed to a stop, hands clutched together close to his chest and face flushed. He looked up to Thomas, who also gasped for breath, and mouthed: 'wow'.
> 
> Thomas nodded in agreement and indicated to the side of the room, signalling to take a break. Randall quickly joined him in returning to the kitchen, where they grabbed more drinks.
> 
> "Hah, told you it was fun."
> 
> "You never said anything about it being fun." Randall shot back.
> 
> "Was it fun?"
> 
> "…Yeah."
> 
> "Then I was right." Thomas waggled his eyebrows, smiling confidently.
> 
> Randall rolled his eyes before taking a long gulp of soda. He sighed contentedly as he leaned up against the island, surveying the surrounding kitchen with lidded eyes.
> 
> Thomas did the same, enjoying the din of music and conversation around them. He was glad he'd been able to convince Randall to come, he wouldn't nearly have had this much fun on his own.
> 
> A tug at his jacket pulled him from his lazy act of monster watching. He found Randall at the end of his sleeve, looking about as he did so.
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "Come on."
> 
> "Let me catch my breath before doing that again." He chuckled. He knew Randall enjoyed it, but not to the point he'd readily jump back into the fray.
> 
> "Come on." He merely repeated with a serious look.
> 
> Thomas' chuckle died and he looked about before being led by the lizard out into the living area. To his surprise, they didn't stop there and instead circumnavigated around the partying monsters and out the back door, onto the porch.
> 
> Thomas stepped out into the cool night, beer in hand and looked about for any reason to which Randall would bring him out here. The porch was barren, everybody inside to avoid the chilly air outside. Randall continued to tug Thomas over to the steps, whereupon he took a seat upon the top one. Thomas hesitated before joining Randall.
> 
> "So what's this all about?" He gave a worried chuckle. Randall hadn't looked back to see if Thomas had followed until they reached the backdoor. Even then his face betrayed no emotion. Did he push Randall too far with the dancing. He seemed to enjoy it but now Thomas was questioning his judgment.
> 
> Randall licked his lips as he looked out into the quiet night.  
>  "I… haven't been entirely truthful with you."
> 
> "…What does that mean?"
> 
> Randall's eyes shifted to meet Thomas'.  
>  "But I think it's better if I come clean," His gaze then moved down to the beer in Thomas' hand, "that alcohol?"
> 
> Thomas blinked in surprise before he understood the question.  
>  "Y-yeah." He looked down into the cup as if to make sure.
> 
> Randall wordlessly extended his hand and grasped the cup, pulling it from Thomas' grip.  
>  "What are you…?"
> 
> Thomas nearly choked when he saw Randall take a massive gulp from it, pulling a face as he did so. He didn't drink.
> 
> "Randall, what the hell!"
> 
> The lizard took another sip before shaking his head violently, passing the cup back to the red monster.  
>  "Gah… sorry, I needed some confidence."
> 
> Thomas stared open mouthed at Randall, completely unable to grasp what was happening.
> 
> The reptile continued, his eyes staring down at the grass below.  
>  "I'd like to know your second name."
> 
> Now he was _really_ confused.
> 
> "Huh?"
> 
> Randall rubbed at his eyes, sighing as he did so.  
>  "Remember when we first met? You made me feel better by telling me your second name was Susanna. You said you'd only tell people who you went out on serious dates with... I wanna know your second name."
> 
> Thomas stared blankly at Randall, letting a long silence ensue in which the lizards face began to contort in worry.
> 
> "…I'm not following."
> 
> Randall spun on Thomas with an annoyed and desperate look in his eyes.
> 
> "God— Thomas, I'm asking you on a date."
> 
> For a moment, Thomas didn't register the words. However when their meaning did befall him, it completely dazed him.
> 
> "A… date?"
> 
> The reptile seemed to be literally turning red.
> 
> Thomas leaned back into the step and let out a breath.  
>  This explained everything.  
>  Why Randall wanted to hang out with him all the time. Why he asked him if he'd ever kissed a guy before. Why he'd get these sidelong gazes.  
>  Randall had a crush on him.
> 
> "You have a crush on me."
> 
> Randall let out a derisive 'hah'.  
>  "That's such a juvenile way of putting it."
> 
> Then he remembered his embarrassment and became red again.
> 
> "I didn't know… you're gay?"
> 
> Randall smiled a bit.  
>  "Surprise..."  
>  He said weakly.
> 
> Thomas rubbed at his neck. He wasn't sure how to react. In truth he wasn't very concerned with Randall's sexuality, more so that it was being directed towards him. Randall was asking _him_ on a date.  
>  Then a realization hit him.
> 
> "This explains a few things." He muttered out.
> 
> "Yeah…" Randall nodded, "I was trying to keep it as well hidden as I could but I suppose I slipped up a couple times."
> 
> "Not just that," Thomas took a long sip from his beer, "with me too."
> 
> Randall braved a look at Thomas' bewildered face and asked, "With you ?"
> 
> "I thought I was just being overly friendly— or nice— or whatever."
> 
> Thomas ran through the last two months and how his demeanor had altered around Randall. How merely tolerating the lizards presence had become trying to convince him to attend parties. How he grew to enjoy being around him more and more. How when he'd punch the reptile's arm or give him a friendly shake he'd feel slightly strange inside. How when seeing Randall upset, he'd immediately wanted to beat the crap out of Sullivan. It definitely explained why the monster he'd thought about kissing during the truth or dare game was Randall.  
>  It had always been there…
> 
> "I was just too dumb to see it."
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "I think I'm into you too."
> 
> " _Really?"_
> 
> "Yeah..."
> 
> "…This was the one situation I hadn't prepared for."
> 
> Thomas smiled awkwardly as he looked over to Randall, who hid his face between his hands. He spoke through his fingers, his voice holding a note of humor.
> 
> "I mean— I kinda thought about all those flirts you threw my way and how nice you were to me as some sort of indication but…"
> 
> "Wait? Flirts?"
> 
> "Yeah… like earlier in the kitchen, when you said you were waiting for me."
> 
> Thomas' ears fell flat to his head as he laughed loudly and helplessly.  
>  "Good God, I really am clueless."
> 
> Randall joined in.  
>  "I guess it doesn't matter. It's all in the open now."
> 
> "I'm glad it is," the furry monster took a swig of beer before offering the cup to Randall, who took it after a moment, "everything feels clearer now. I mean— damn, up until this point I thought I was straight. No wonder I couldn't get a girlfriend. Hang on, does that mean that girl you have a crush on is-?"
> 
> "You. Yes…" Randall giggled into the cup, "I had to cover myself or you would have gotten suspicious."
> 
> Thomas was doubtful of that.
> 
> "So… we're on the same page?"
> 
> "I guess," Thomas shrugged, "I mean— a date? Yeah, I'm for it. But like— it feels a bit unnecessary. You like me. I like you. What else is there to talk about. Why can't we just be… boyfriends?"
> 
> "You underestimate the power of a date," Randall smirked a bit, "I want it to be proper anyway."
> 
> Thomas licked his lips and looked down at the grass, feeling suddenly strange and misplaced.  
>  He felt Randall shift beside him, leaning in closer and tentatively touching his shoulder. Looking up, he found the lizard in very close proximity, a hazy glint in his eyes.
> 
> "But that doesn't mean we can't… act like we're boyfriends already."
> 
> He closed the distance between them slowly, making his intent obvious and allowing Thomas to back out far before contact was made. He didn't back out. Instead, he leaned forward and met the lizard's lips, pulling a hand up to caress his cheek as they kissed.
> 
> The kiss was slightly awkward at first, Randall quickly losing the confidence he got to initiate causing him to break away after a few seconds. Thomas pulled him back though, a grunt escaping his throat as he felt Randall's hands snake their way around his neck. The red monster pulled him in closer, getting better leverage. His hands rested flush on the lizards lower back, keeping him in place as the kiss went on.
> 
> After some time it was broken by Thomas, who let out a shaky breath.
> 
> "God, that was hot."
> 
> Randall chuckled nervously, wiping away some saliva from his mouth.  
>  "I'm inclined to agree."
> 
> "When exactly did you say this date was gonna happen?"
> 
> Randall thought for a moment.  
>  "Saturday."
> 
> "That's two days away…"
> 
> "So?"
> 
> "That's a really long time."
> 
> Randall let out one of his melodic laughs, before grinning mischievously.  
>  "It'll be worth it."
> 
> Thomas reluctantly let the lizard go so that he could stand up. It occurred to him how quickly he had admitted to his own feelings and acted on them. The eager reciprocity from Randall had spurred him on though. For the first time in his life, Thomas had begun to think of himself as something other than straight. Then not even five minutes later he was making out with his… boyfriend?
> 
> "So wait, are we official?"
> 
> "Officially what?" A voice caused the two to jump. They whirled around to see Johnny standing in the doorway, hand on the previously closed door and inquisitive look on his face.
> 
> "Johnny, how long…" Thomas trailed off with wide eyes.
> 
> Johnny instead frowned, confused, as he glanced between the two. Randall stood fidgeting next to the staircase whilst Thomas sat biting his lip. A look of realization befell Johnny for a moment and he tapped on the door softly. He nodded to himself and cleared his voice.
> 
> "Uhm, I just wanted to ask if you two mind getting some more beers from the basement," he threw a thumb over his shoulder, "we're- uhh— running low up here."
> 
> "Sure!" Thomas replied, quickly standing up.
> 
> Johnny nodded again before disappearing back into the house.
> 
> Thomas waited till he was sure he was gone before glancing over to Randall, who could only be described as horrified. Thomas burst into obnoxious laughter, leaning back against the banister, hands placed upon his head. Randall glared at Thomas in obvious disapproval of his cackling.
> 
> "This isn't funny!" He yelled, "what if he saw?"
> 
> Thomas only laughed harder after Randall's outburst, shaking his head as he did so. Randall marched up to him and punched his side.
> 
> "Ow," Thomas giggled, putting out his hands to prevent another punch, "okay, okay! I'm sorry!" His amused grin said otherwise.  
>  "Don't worry, he didn't see anything."
> 
> "How can you be sure? Didn't you see his face?"
> 
> "What does it matter anyway?"
> 
> Randall gaped, brow knitted tightly.  
>  "Of course it matters! Imagine how quickly this is going to spread!"
> 
> Thomas took on a more serious tone of voice. He tried to calm the lizard's nerves. "Hey— it's alright, there won't be any gossip. We're just two guys on the porch outside talking about random stuff, nothing to gossip about."
> 
> Randall huffed with his arms folded. He glared at Thomas for a long while. Eventually his stony gaze faltered and he smirked.
> 
> "God, this is embarrassing."
> 
> "Hopefully not embarrassing to be seen with me."
> 
> Randall shook his head adamantly.  
>  "I'm more worried about you being embarrassed."
> 
> Thomas let his inquiring eyebrow raise ask.
> 
> Randall shrugged, diverting his gaze.  
>  "An OK together with a ROR, somebody's bound to make it difficult for you."
> 
> The lizard let out a yelp as he was suddenly pulled up into the air. It took a moment to realize Thomas had grabbed him and held him over his shoulder, spinning in a circle across the porch.
> 
> _"Randall Boggs is my boyfriend!"_ The red monster shouted into the night as he twirled around.
> 
> "Oh my God— _Thomas!_ " Randall's eyes widened and he barraged the furry monster's back with punches, "stop!"
> 
> With an amused laugh, Thomas ceased and lowered the fuming lizard, who looked to the house for any activity.
> 
> "Why?" He nearly screamed, throwing his arms out.
> 
> Thomas provided him with a dumb smirk in response.  
>  "I don't care what anyone thinks and you shouldn't either."
> 
> The reptile bit his lip, fidgeting aggressively and staring at the house.
> 
> "I'm just so happy." Thomas breathed, his genuine creepy smile adorning his face.
> 
> Randall couldn't keep his own smile from making an appearance and walked over to the other monster, wrapping his four arms around him in a hug which was immediately reciprocated.  
>  "I'm happy that you're happy," he sighed, "but let's keep this to ourselves," he looked up to see Thomas' jovial smile, "for now."
> 
> The red monster nodded in understanding. If Randall wanted to wait, he could wait.
> 
> Randall began walking back to the door, intending to undertake the task of retrieving beers from the basement, looking over his shoulder.
> 
> "And we'll be official… after the date."
> 
> Thomas beamed, quickly following the center of his newfound happiness. He hadn't realized how much this meant to him before the idea of others finding out. He _wanted_ to tell others. The thought of Randall and him walking around campus hand-in-hand, not a care in the world who was watching, made giddy excitement boil up in his gut. But he'd wait until Saturday, if that's what the lizard wanted.
> 
> As Thomas walked Randall through the house, he couldn't refrain the spring in his step, the dumb grin he wore or the perkiness of his ears. Randall seemed identically affected, a constant blush visible every time Thomas gazed over his shoulder.
> 
> They reached the door leading to the basement, treading carefully down the steps in the dim light. Thomas had only been down here once before to retrieve a table they had stored. The beers were easy to find however, being stacked precariously to the one side.
> 
> Before Randall could grab a six pack, he was embraced by Thomas from behind, who shifted the lizard to face him. Once again they shared a heated kiss that nearly became a make-out session. Randall had the frame of mind to push Thomas away, reluctantly of course, scolding the red monster. Thomas insisted on carrying the beer, leaving only a three bottles that had come loose of their packaging for Randall.
> 
> Leaving the basement, they heard Johnny call for silence and the beginnings of an announcement. Monsters around the house slowly flocked to the living area. They hurried their pace so not to miss any more.
> 
> They moved to the kitchen, giving each other sly looks as they went before depositing the beers on an empty counter.  
>  Right next to a bunch of alcohol.
> 
> "What?" Thomas frowned at the obvious abundance of drinks still available.
> 
> "Maybe for later?" Randall hypothesised, finding it equally as strange.
> 
> Thomas hummed before pulling Randall to follow him out into the living room. It was funny how comfortable Thomas felt with touching Randall now. What would have been a simple nudge or tap to gain the other's attention had become a grab of the hand. Randall didn't seem to mind. Things had progressed so unimaginably quick, but Thomas was fine with it. Over the moon in fact. He hoped Randall shared his excitement.
> 
> They walked in through the entrance, finding Johnny just finish calling out the JOX, who let out a collective and enthusiastic yell. Thomas realized he must be congratulating all the teams who made it in the Scare Games. That meant…
> 
> "And finally, the surprise team of the Scare Games…" Johnny gestured to the gathered group nearby with a broad smile, "Oozma Kappa! Come on over, guys."
> 
> The fraternity of misfits moved over to centre stage, monsters moving out the way for them whilst cheering and clapping. Even the PNKs and JOX were applauding, the former less enthusiastically however. Randall, although not with the rest of his team, basked in the glow of the crowd. Thomas chuckled at seeing how content the lizard was with the moment. How proud he was. He begun moving toward the group, hoping to join them. Thomas followed, planning to do the same with the RORs. He was given pause however, when he caught Chip's gaze. The gray monster simply pulled an uneasy expression and slowly shook his head.
> 
> "What?" Thomas responded with a questioning frown. Randall noticed he had stopped.
> 
> "What's up?"
> 
> Johnny continued.  
>  "Now, I gotta admit, fellas, I thought you were a bunch of nobodies."
> 
> Randall, not receiving an explanation from Thomas— who was still looking at Chip across the room— continued on his way to the OKs.
> 
> "But boy was I wrong. Let's hear it, for Oozma Kappa!"
> 
> The crowd cheered the fraternities name in unison. Then bright coloured blurs fell upon the group. Randall froze in his tracks, only a few metres away, staring in horror, Thomas likewise astounded behind him.
> 
> "The most adorable monsters on campus."
> 
> The situation only worsened when Javier appeared with a remote in hand, quickly pushing it and setting off a cannon Chip had strategically placed beside the OKs. It went off with a muffled bang, sending glitter spraying all over the goo-covered monster. Reggie was quick to unload a bucket full of bright plastic flowers next.
> 
> The crowd had devolved into laughter at this point, all jeering at the pranked monsters mockingly. Randall spun around himself, gawking at the monsters around him who had not ten seconds ago been cheering for him. For them. His eyes landed on Thomas, who stood gaping at the scene before him. The confused and fearful expression that adorned the lizard's face morphed into anger and betrayal. Thomas reached out and tried to get closer to Randall.
> 
> Randall darted towards his fraternity brothers, only to stop short when a shower of brightly coloured stuffed animals fell upon them. Chet was suddenly before the group with a polaroid camera, chortling as he snapped a picture.
> 
> The laughter continued to roll forth as Randall tugged on the goo-soaked Oozmas, particularly Mike, pushing them toward the exit. The monsters parted quickly for them, allowing them to move hastily away. Thomas cried out for Randall, shoving his way through the crowd and following them out to the front door.
> 
> The OKs piled out, Randall moving them along briskly.
> 
> "C'mon, guys." He coaxed them along down into frat row. They were all stunned silent, unable to grasp what had actually happened.
> 
> Thomas burst forth from the house, spinning his head around until he spotted the bright group.
> 
> "Randall!"
> 
> The lizard flinched as if hit, turning on Thomas. The red monster hurried down the steps and met him in the street.
> 
> "Randall, I-"
> 
> The reptilian monster merely scowled and threw his hands into the air.  
>  "I don't care!" He screamed. Thomas stooped dead, grimacing.
> 
> "I-"
> 
> "I don't care." He repeated in a softer voice, absolutely laced with anger and— much to Thomas' dissatisfaction— hurt. He turned and strode away, following the OKs who hadn't even stopped.
> 
> "Randy… I swear-"
> 
> _"Just-"_ Randall spun around again, his fronds flaring and eyes glaring, "just go away, Thomas! Please."
> 
> The furry monster's ears flattened, arms dropping to his sides as he ceased following, watching as Randall— the same monster he had so heatedly kissed merely five minutes ago— turned his back and walked away.
> 
> His lower jaw quivered, wanting to form words but unable to. Emotion begun clouding his vision, stinging his eyes. He aggressively rubbed away the newly formed tears and sniffed hard.
> 
> "Damn it…" He cursed to himself, clenching his fists, his claws threatening to draw blood from his palms. With a low growl, Thomas turned back to the house, eyes hard and set.  
>  One last look at the monster he saw as more than just a best friend and he was off, marching back to the ROR house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So copying and pasting the chapter onto this site proved to be impossible for a good ten minutes so I'm sick of having to tweak what it looks like. Sorry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's (still) ALIVE.
> 
> Haven't updated in a while. So apologies. Been reading through everything I've written so far and holy crap, the first chapter was bad, guys. How did anyone even get through it? But I'm happy to see it got a little better, and hopefully will continue to do so.

"What the hell?"

Johnny and the other RORs looked up from the picture he held.

"Ah, Ghola." Johnny greeted with a friendly smile, immediately faltering when he saw Thomas' furious expression. He shoved a few monsters from his path. Many moved out of their own accord, wary of the red and very angry monster.

Thomas stepped around the puddle of goop that lay messily upon the floor and came face to face with his fraternity brothers, all of which looked somewhat defensive.

"What the hell was that about?" He pointed to the puddle.

Johnny looked to the puddle then back to Thomas with an open jaw, eyebrows raised.

"That," he drew out, "was a prank."

Thomas' nostrils flared.

"Just calm down, buddy." Chip stepped up beside them, his hands at the ready to pull Thomas away.

"Seemed a bit excessive for a prank." Thomas seethed.

"I told you he wouldn't get in on it." Reggie chipped in from the back.

Johnny nodded a bit.  
"We thought you'd handle it a bit better than this, but…" he looked around to see only a few monsters watching from around the room. Most had gone back to the party, already forgetting about the Oozmas.  
"You see, we've been planning a prank on those adorable little monsters for as long as sign-ups."

Thomas' ears perked at this revelation. It was disheartening. No, it was infuriating.

"Randall isn't an adorable little monster." Thomas was calmer than before he stepped in but his fur still bristled, ears still glued to his skull.

"That's why we excluded him." Chip said quickly, looking desperate to quell any anger Thomas had. It seemed only to worsen it.

He turned his attention to Chip, glaring. He made it sound like he did him a favor.

"Especially with what I saw outside," Johnny continued, smirking a bit, "we had to make sure you two were too far away to be involved."

So he had seen them. Randall probably wouldn't be too happy about that. Although at this point Thomas doubted he'd be happy about anything that involved him. Thomas opened his mouth to remark on the irrelevance of that simple fact when Johnny spoke again.

"We had no idea you'd take it so badly." His face reflected a bit of guilt, a surprisingly rare emotion for the ROR president.  
"It was just a prank, Thomas, we meant nothing else by it."

The red monster gritted his teeth. He didn't believe it. They were exactly what the stories around campus described them as: egotistical, self-centered assholes.  
Thomas grabbed the picture from Johnny's hand.

"Thomas?" The demon watched as the red monster retreated, stomping out the house.

"Wow." Said Javier.

"That was the only photo." Chet lamented.

Johnny turned to the crab.  
"Probably not a good idea to do the charity thing now, so it doesn't really matter. Turned into a fine mess anyways."

"They shouldn't be taking it so hard," Reggie spoke, "everyone laughed behind their backs anyway."

Chip let out an exasperated sigh and moved around the goopy mess on the floor, heading towards the front door.

"Chip?" Javier called out, "what are you doing? Let him cool off."

The horned monster threw a hand over his shoulder in a dismissive gesture.

"Well damn, maybe it  _wasnt_ such a good idea." He muttered. The RORs all watched as Chip left the house silently, the lighthearted atmosphere from before now gone. Johnny sighed as well before walking off to the kitchen.

"Johnny, where're you going?"

"To get a beer."

Thomas strode down frat row, just short of a jog. He had no idea how far away they'd be at this point but he had to try and talk to Randall again. He had to tell him he had no part in the prank, that he'd never do something like that.

Thomas realized he still held onto the photograph. He didn't want to look at it. But curiosity and a mounting need overcame him and he stopped, looking down to view it. The image disgusted him, going as far to cause nausea. He growled at it before tearing it in two clean halves. His anger only worsened as he tore at it more, shredding it into a hundred pieces.  
Thomas threw it to the ground before joining it on the curb. He let out a pathetic sob.

"Everything was going so well…" He groaned, a hand running through his head fur.  
His despair grew as he recalled Randall's face. He'd never seen the lizard that angry. It was like he'd become a whole other monster. But it wasn't the anger that got to him, rather the betrayal etched upon his features. Randall had trusted him with a confession he'd probably been holding onto for months, worrying over. Thomas hadn't even realized how he felt until Randall asked him out, he probably would never have figured it out. But he was happy— ecstatic about his feelings for his friend. His boyfriend.

Well he couldn't call him that yet, Randall wanted to wait until the date to make it official.  
Thomas groaned again.  
It was probably a date that would now never happen. Not even an hour into their relationship and Thomas had blown it. No, it was his fraternity brothers who'd blown it. He was innocent.  
But not in Randall's eyes.

He had to fix it.  
He quickly rose to his feet, and set off again, intent on catching up. That is until he heard a voice behind him.

"Ghola."

He turned, dreading to see the last monster he wanted to at that moment.

"What do you want?" He bared his teeth at Sullivan, who stood in the middle of the road, stagnant.

The blue monster didn't move or speak for a moment. Thomas decided he wasn't interested and turned, ready to continue after the OKs.

"Why are you following them?"

"The hell do  _you_ care, Sullivan?"  
Thomas stopped and turned to face the other monster, glaring intently.

He narrowed his eyes.  
"The hell do I care? What do you take me for?"

"You want me to answer that?"

"Yeah."

Thomas marched up to the blue monster, fists clenched and ears flattened. He stopped right before him, getting in his face.

"A scumbag, that's what I take you for."

Sullivan growled, nose scrunching up as he glared back.

"Since we're getting this all out in the open, I'll tell you what I think of you." he poked a finger into Thomas' chest forcefully.  
"A hotshot, backstabbing asshole who thinks he's better than everyone else."

"The pot calling the kettle black!" Thomas sneered.

Sullivan reciprocated the gesture.  
"Takes one to know one, buddy."

Thomas shoved Sullivan hard, causing him to lumber backwards. Before he realized what he'd done or was about to do, Thomas had stepped forward and pulled back a fist. It connected with the blue monsters jaw, sending his head whipping to the side. Thomas brought his fist back again, preparing for another punch. He threw himself forward with an angry cry, only to meet air. Sullivan had sidestepped the assault and had his own punch ready, hitting Thomas right below the rib cage. The red monster wheezed as air left his lungs and he collapsed.

Sullivan stood over him, arms ready to dish out more. But after noticing Thomas laying on the ground holding his chest and sputtering uncontrollably, he relaxed.

"I forgot to add idiot." He said quietly, angrily. Thomas could only gaze up helplessly.  
Sullivan touched his jaw tentatively, prodding for any injury. Satisfied that he was fine, he ran a hand through his hair before sighing, his demeanor shifting slightly.

"I didn't even come out looking for a fight. I didn't even come out looking for  _y_ _ou_ ," Sullivan looked about, hands on his hips, "y'know, you don't deserve to be in ROR… actually on second thought, you fit right in. You're just like them. A preppy, mightier-than-all prick."

Thomas was slowly getting air to fill his lungs again, but his limbs felt as though they were filled with lead. He could barely move. He didn't want to be here anymore.

"It's a wonder why Randall ever put up with you." Sullivan shook his head disapprovingly. Any fight Thomas once had was extinguished by that one comment. He closed his eyes to escape from Sullivan's frown.

"Enjoy the ROR life, Ghola. I'll see you around."

Thomas heard the blue monster turn and walk away. He didn't open his eyes to see where he had gone nor did he care. Tears streamed down his face in small rivers, dampening his fur. A few stray sobs sounded every so often. Pure emotion overtook him in great waves, shaking his body. He was so worked up he couldn't think straight. All he thought about was the disappointment Sullivan had gazed upon him with. It reminded him too much of his sister.  
It was crushing him.

"God… what is wrong with me?" He sobbed out pitifully, trying to rub away his tears.

Thomas lay like that for some time, crying quietly to himself in the street. He didn't hear a pair of footsteps approaching until he heard a familiar voice.

"Jesus— Thomas!" Chip rushed over to the huddled red monster, crouching at his side, "what happened?"

Thomas sniffed a bit, swallowing hard.  
"I… I— I started crying," he whimpered, "and now I can't stop…"

Chip wasn't sure what to do as he watched his fraternity brother break out into fresh tears. He eventually decided to get him on his feet and out of the street. He pulled the red monster up with considerable strain. Once up, he helped Thomas hobble over to the sidewalk, where they both collapsed. Chip helped stabilize Thomas on the curb.

They sat together in silence for some time, the quiet only temporarily broken by a stray sniff from Thomas. Chip busied himself watching Thomas' face whilst he waited for calm to overcome the other.

"Thomas?" He eventually gave the red monster a serious look, trying to figure the situation out.

Thomas' ears were permanently wilted now, and his face fur damp from tears. He avoided eye contact, muttering something incoherent.

"What?" Chip leaned in closer.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to get you to listen," The grayish monster replied with a sigh, "you left the house pissed off, it wouldn't have ended well… It didn't."

Thomas snorted.  
"I did listen, that's why I'm so pissed off," he finally looked at Chip, "you guys were assholes."

Chip held his hands up and sighed.  
"Yes, alright. That was an asshole thing to do and I'm sorry. So is everyone else."

"No they're not."

"No, I guess not," Chip shook his head, "but  _I'm_ sorry— and what I feel now counts more."

Thomas frowned and provided Chip with a condescending look.

"Hate to break it to you, Chip, but you don't speak for the RORs, I think that space is filled by Johnny." He spat bitterly.

Chip returned the look and lazily replied, "True, but what I think matters because the prank was my idea."

Thomas gave a doubtful look.

"Just because Johnny is our fearless leader doesn't mean his lackeys can't do their own thing. I thought about it, came up with a rough plan, suggested it, helped carry it out. Worked pretty well too."

"So you came out here to apologize for something you're proud of? Thanks— really."  
Thomas deadpanned, looking back out into the street.

Chip rolled his eyes and elbowed the red monster.  
"I also wanted to help you find Randall and explain you had no role in the plan."

Thomas gave the grayish monster an incredulous look.  
"Seriously?"

"Johnny told us about what he saw. He  _only_ told us so there's no need to worry about rumors."

"I don't care what people think," Thomas looked down.

"That much is obvious, but maybe Randall does."

Thomas balked, fresh tears pushing on the back of his eyeballs.

"Yeah…" he rubbed at his neck, "I guess."

"I'm not sure how long you two have had a thing going, I'm feeling since after the spin the bottle game?"

"No… no, we only figured things out less than an hour ago."

"Damn, alright. Then this needs to be fixed soon."

"Wait, since the spin the bottle game? That was long ago."

Chip shrugged.  
"Was pretty obvious he was into you. I mean, he looked… hopeful when you were deciding how to answer his question. That and the bedroom eyes he'd always give you with were a pretty dead giveaway."

Thomas buried his face in his hands.  
"God, I'm an idiot."

"Not a huge one, this came as a surprise to everyone else too, Johnny included. They didn't peg you'd swing that way."

"You did?"

Chip shrugged again.  
"Still don't. You don't seem the kind to be a queer."

"Can't even be gay right," Thomas chuckled humorlessly, "no wonder it was screwed up in ten minutes."

"But it won't be for long," Chip patted Thomas' shoulder, "we'll get ahold of him and tell him how it really happened. It's kind of a shame though. We wanted to get to know him better but I guess that's not going to happen now."

Thomas furrowed his brow in a confused frown.  
"What do you mean?"

"He's your friend. We're your brothers. Obviously we'd be interested. If we found out sooner about… you two, Johnny would've called off the prank. We got the two of you away from the living room so you wouldn't see it. Sorta backfired. Like I said… I'm sorry. And although I can't speak for the rest, I'm sure they're thinking about it right now."

"You guys are a bunch of douchebags." Thomas sniffed.

"You're right I guess. I hate to admit it but we get carried away sometimes. But we sort of keep each other level-headed, you know? You were the reasonable one tonight so it just shows that you belong with us," Chip gave Thomas a bit of a smile, "you need to fix this and I need to help."

Thomas looked away, staring at the road in quiet contemplation. Chip had been surprisingly open with him so far. He wasn't sure how to exactly reply. Instead he draped an arm over Chip's shoulders and shook him slightly. The other seemed to understand its meaning and gave a bit of a chuckle.

"We'll go see him tomorrow," he bumped Thomas gently before continuing, "so do you always have breakdowns in the middle of a street?"

Thomas let out a short laugh, shaking the grayish monster again.  
"That wasn't a breakdown. That was Sullivan."

"Sullivan?" Chips voice went low, "wait, he attacked you?"

"I… hit him first." Thomas rubbed his fist, he hadn't noticed how hard he'd striked the blue monster.

"Idiot…" Chip chided, "I'm guessing he hit harder."

"Somewhat."

"He made you cry?"

"Shut up."

Chip chuckled.  
"We'll handle that later. But for now, let's get back to the party. Pray I don't see Sullivan skulking around."

Thomas nodded tentatively, getting up alongside Chip.  
"Yeah. I feel like a dick for the way I walked out now."

"Forget about it, we've sorted it out. Let's just enjoy the rest of the night."

Chip led the way back to the ROR house, providing Thomas with idle chatter along the way, who answered only occasionally. Thomas' mind was preoccupied with the events of the night. It was unbelievable how quickly everything had changed. Between Randall, his fraternity brothers and Sullivan, Thomas had a lot to think over.

But Randall would be the most pleasant to mull over. As much as Thomas wanted to be upset about the prank, he couldn't stop thinking about the conversation they'd had previous to it. The kiss they shared.

Thomas decided it was a lot better than what he'd imagined in the café during spin the bottle. He made note to tell Randall this when he went to explain. That among other things.

As Chip tried some idle chatter to distract him, the red monster allowed himself to smile. Contradictory to everything that had occurred, Thomas felt hope creeping up on him.  
Accompanied by something he recognized as adoration.  
Adoration for a certain purple lizard. He had a lot of subconscious swooning to catch up on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And please don't think badly of anyone in the story, people can suck sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> I rewatched Monsters University and got a surge of motivation. This story is a thing now. Kind of an alternate universe, but also not really.
> 
> Just trying my hand at something sort of like a romance.
> 
> Will see what it becomes.


End file.
